New Life
by Bubblewing-luvs-anime
Summary: Skye moves to Mineral Town, hoping to find love and forget her past. But HE finds her once again, and causes bad things to happen to the boys who get close to her. Will Skye find love in Mineral Town, or will her dire love from the past reclaim her?
1. Rip off

Okay, so the reason for no made couple is that I want to see if I get enough (re)viewers that are in favour of one particular guy (in Mineral Town) to be with Naomi. One more reason to review! She will interact with all the (legible) guys in town, so please tell me which one you like best, or think Naomi likes best.

_**I DO NOT OWN HARVEST MOON!! You're thinking of Natsume.**_

I shut the door behind me and sighed. Tokyo was so crowded, dirty and blinding, and I was so sick of it. I sighed. That wan't the only reason, either. The other was that I couldn't get a boyfriend! Sure, a lot of guys really liked me, but because I'm so stupid I never notice. And by the time they tell me they like me, I like them too much as a friend to love them, or I like someone else who is oblivious to my exitstense.

I plopped down onto my cushion and pulled the newspaper to my face. Any new houses available in the country? I sniggered to myself. Then I spotted an ad for a farm in a strange Mineral Town. Oh my god, freakiness. I glanced at the description and liked what I saw… er, read. Actually, I really liked it. Visions of a nice, calm farm, cute little horsies, and making my own food, knowing what goes into it, and possibly cute farm boys, went through my head. In an instant, my mind was decided. I jumped to the phone to talk to a man about a farm.

--

My mp3 player blasting into my ears, I stared in horror at the farm. _No… no, this can't be it!! It must be some kind of mistake!! _The farm was a run down crap hole; the house was tiny and old, the field was covered in rocks and twigs, and the livestock and poultry homes were total ghost towns. I sighed. _Figures. I should have known it was too good to be true…_

"You there, hello!" a male voice called out. It was a midget in a red suit and top hat. "What brings you to Diamond Farm? Don't tell me you're a tourist? Because if you are, then you should really go to the inn"

"No," I said, smiling half-heartedly, holding up my hand to stop him from babbling any longer. "Actually, I saw an ad in the newspaper for a wonderful Mineral Town farm life; but I ended up being ripped off."

The midget stared at me. I stared back at him, uncomfortable from the unreadable look in his eyes. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. I continued staring, taken aback. "My, my, and I thought you were a smart young girl! We have ads like that a lot, you know, and some suckers come here believing it, like you. But really, Diamond Farm is nothing special. No one's run the farm for years."

I was really starting to hate this man… in fact, I whipped my mp3 player at his fat head. "But, I thought you said some people believe those ads and come live here."

"No, no, they come, stay a day or two, and leave. Enjoy some wine and reading. None of them were up to the challenge, and actually stayed. The owner died years ago, but had no kin to take over the farm, so it stayed as it was. I suppose you'll do the same, so come with me and I'll go reserve a room for you at Doug's inn," he said, beginning to wobble his fat little legs the other way, rubbing the spot where my mp3 hit him.

I took a deep breath. "No." I told him firmly. "I came out here to get a new start on life, not having to live in the hustle-bustle, unhealthy life of Tokyo City. I'm staying here, and I'm running Diamond Farm; Mineral Town, meet your new farmer!!"

The man started laughing again, clapping his hands. I went a little red. _Overkill…? _"Very good! Well, let me introduce myself. I am Thomas, the mayor here." _Mayor?_

_"_Oh, uh, I'm Naomi. But my friends back home gave me the nickname Skye." I said, thinking the mayor should know who I am.

"I do hope you'll make friends, come to festivals, and live a happy life here in Mineral Town. Well, I suppose I'll leave you to it!" he said, waving his hand across the dead scenery. By the time I had turned, Thomas the Mayor was gone.

I rolled up my sleeves. _Diamond Farm _will _be a success! I'll make sure of it! _

Three hours later, I had enough space cleared for a garden, and my stuff was unpacked. Exhausted, I went into my humble abode, sure to kill me in my sleep by the slightest gust of wind breaking it down. For the first time, I noticed the tool box. I opened it; it was kind of heavy. I gasped. A bunch of tools were in there!

…Well, that probably sounded stupid. OMG, a tool box with tools in it!? Amazing! I giggled at my own stupidity, then shifted the things in the box.

I took out the pedometer and put it on, resetting it. Then I noticed a bag. Picking it up, it had a turnip picture on the front. _Turnip seeds! Awesome! _Forgetting how tired I was, I dashed outside with the hoe and the watering can. Making some tilled soil for the seeds, I threw them down carefully; they covered almost all the space I'd made earlier.

I tipped the watering can to find it was empty. _Well, duh. Who leaves a watering can with water in their tool box? To rust up all his other tools? _I ran to the pond beside the field, dipping it in. I read the sign. It said all the sizes and types of fish. It was hand written, so the owner pervious to me must have written it there to help him remember. _Cool!_

I went back to my turnip garden, my exhaustion catching up on me. I slowly and carefully watered all the seeds.

As I went inside again, I looked back once more. Smiling as the sun set at my new home, I thought _this isn't going to be so bad. _

--

Thank you for reading this! Please review kindly, and tell how I can make it better! REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE CHAPTERS!! And remember about telling me about your faourite couple!! Thank you!!


	2. The Other Farms

_**Chapter 2**_

**You might call this chapter random, but I worked hard on it, so please read (and review!) it!!**

I woke up groggily, but decided I wanted to sleep more. I rolled over and my face hit something hard. I opened my eyes, tears coming to them. _That friggin hurt...!_ _What did I...? Oh. _I realized I had hit my face on the wall. Since I wasn't used to my bed being pushed up against it, I'd totally forgotten and rolled over. (And I take wide turns when I roll....does that make sense?) As I glared at the wall, I felt something warm on my legs. Looking down, I swore loudly as I saw blood from my nose spattering the sheets of the bed and my bare legs.

I looked around for a tissue box, and found one on top of my TV. I covered my nose as I thought about my new life. I'd come here for peace, but I hadn't really gotten any... _yet! _I pumped myself up. As soon as I cleaned my sheets with my non-existant washing machine, I'd go into town. _Aheheh... I'll save the [hand] washing for later, on second thought._ I realized my nose bleed was gone, so I scarfed down a croissant for breakfast before pulling my night gown over my head and throwing it into the drawers.

Suddenly curious, I looked around the rest of them. I ended up finding an old newspaper, a couple kitchen tools and an apron. _What the hell is the apron for...? Its not like there's a kitchen, _I thought bitterly. Believe it or not, I'd always loved to cook. And so, the apron in front of me was just sitting there, laughing at me.

I found myself strangling it before I realized I still needed clothes. I took out a pair of blue overalls, and a nice, white blouse to go underneath it. I combed out my long blonde hair delicately. I picked my rucksack up off of the table and walked out the door.

The road was a little long to get to town. A pang of sadness hit me; would I turn out to be anti-social, an outcast, because of the location of my house?

I gasped. _Another farm! They're cheating on me! GASP! TWO!! IN A ROW!!_ I started hyper ventilating, then ended up laughing at myself. I walked into the first farm; it was for chickens. "Hello?" I called.

A sweet voice answered my call. "Why, hello!" I looked around and spotted a woman about 40 sitting behind a desk. She kind of looked frail, sickly, with her pink hair blowing around her pale face in the wind of the open door. "You must be the new farmer in town! I'm Lillia, the owner of this place. We produce mainly for chickens; if you ever need anything for yours, come here, and we'll see what we can do!" _Oh. She's not competitive at all. _I thought. She looked at me expectantly, until I realized it was my turn to talk.

"Uh... I'm Naomi. But everyone calls me Skye. Yeah, I own Diamond Farm. When I get enough gold, I'll buy a chicken." I said stupidly. The corners of her lips curled, and she started giggling.

"How cute! I can tell we'll be great friends!" she beamed at me. I couldn't help blushing a little. I'm not gay, but I think she'd have that effect on anyone. She must've seen me blushing, because she started laughing. "I'll be your substitute mom, if you want. I can't replace her, but I can take care of you if you're sick! Oh, that's the doctors job..."

"Mother?" Another sweet voice called from up the stairs. Not as sweet as Lillia's, but.... "What's going on? You're laughing so much!" Two pairs of feet came down the stairs, one graceful, one....not so graceful. The source of the second voice was a young version of Lillia. She had darker pink hair, and an oldish dress on. Beside her was a dorky looking boy, older than the girl, with orange hair and big glasses.

"This is the new farmer, Naomi! Naomi, these are my two children, Popuri and Rick." _Isn't popuri that weird flower thing...?_

"But you can call me Skye," I added.

Popuri beamed at me. "Hi!!"

Rick went kind of red. "H-hello there..." _What's his problem....?_

Popuri suddenly came up to hug me. _Whoa!!_ "Thank you for making mother smile! I can tell just from that that you're a good person! Oh, I hope we can be good friends!!" She hugged me tighter.

"Oh, uh yeah, sure...."_ If I survive your hug!!!! _

Rick cleared his throat. Popuri blinked, but let go of me. When I caught sight of him, heh, he was blushing. "So. Are you......," he blushed a little harder. "....g-gunna buy a chicken?"

"Rick!! Don't say things like-- sweety? Why are your glasses fogging up?" Lillia asked.

"Uh? Oh. Uh...... its so hot out today! Aheheh!" he pulled his shirt out and in in a fanning motion.

"......It's early spring." Popuri accused, trying to hide her smirk. Rick ignored her.

"Say, do you like eggs?" he asked. His smile had.... what the hell?! _DROOL!?!?_

I stepped back, forcing a smile on my face. "Er.... t-totally!!"

His smile widened. "Great! The hens just layed a whole bunch- I'll give you some, free of charge!"

_Awww! He's so sweet! _"Sure! That'd be great! I don't have much growing on my farm right now, to ship or to eat!"

Rick beamed at me. "I'll be right back with your complimentary eggs!!!" He ran, a little too eagerly, up the stairs. I heard him thumping around.

Lillia caught me off guard. "Please be nice to him. He gets so nervous around girls other than Karen."

Popuri snorted at the girls name. "If she could be called a girl...." she muttered.

Lillia noticed this. "Popuri! How many times have I told you that some girls just _don't_ _like ballet?!_ The reason she avoids you is because you tortured her through that routine! Oh my, sorry you had to hear that. She won't do it to you........ I hope."

"But we were _five!!!!!" _Popuri complained. She straightened up. "Oh, and I think Rick has a little crush on you!" she moved closer to me to whisper something into my ear, so Lillia couldn't listen in. "And if you don't like him, pretend not to notice." She winked as she moved away.

"HERE!!!!" Rick hollered from the top of the stairs. He took a step forward, missing the first step, and rolled down the rest of the way.

I gasped. "Omigawd! Are you okay!?" I ran over to him after he landed on the floor. "That must've really hurt! Lemme help you up!!" His face gleamed bright red as I helped him back to his feet.

"Oh, you stupid klutz!!! You broke all the eggs-- look at your face!" Popuri began to giggle.

I looked up at him, and sure enough, egg yolk was dripping all around his face. His blushing hid the yellow before. "I'm so sorry.... about the eggs...." he mumbled, his face so red again I was sure the yolk was frying.

I laughed. "That's okay, really. Look, some of 'em aren't even broken!" I picked up the half-smushed container. Some of the eggs had survived. "What matters is that you're okay." He nodded.

As Popuri checked him over, I walked to Lillia with the eggs. "Could you get another container, please?"

She nodded, smiling. She reached under her desk and pulled a smaller one out, placing all the whole eggs into it. "Sorry about this," she said.

I laughed. "It's okay. He can't help it if he's klutzy."

She smiled me out the door.

_Haha!! Well, that was interesting. _

I strolled down the rest of the street, up to the other farm. The big sign showed me that it was a livestock farm, for horses and cows.

I walked in. An old man looked up from his desk. "Hello, young miss!" he beamed. He studied me. "The new farmer, I presume?"

I nodded. "I'm Naomi, sir. Call me Skye, if you want, sir."

He laughed. "No need for so much respect! Call me Barley," he added. "If you ever need a cow, or anything for it, come here, we got everything you need!" _The people here are so nice! Not competitive at all- just heplful!_

"Grandpa?" a little voice called beside Barley. "I wanna go outside!" A little girl emerged from behind the desk, pointing behind me.

"No, no, that way, May!" he pointed to the door beside him. "You can't go out there! Wait until Carter comes with Stew!"

May took no heed to his words. She shot past me, running out the door I had left open. "No!" I tried to grab her, but I was too slow. She raced over to the cow pen.

"May, no!!!!" Barley yelled. "Don't open---!!!"

But he was too late. May had unlocked the cow pen, and they all instantly headed for the opening, straight at May.

--

**Hey, I hope you liked it! REVIEW IF YOU WANT ANOTHER CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!! And tell me how you liked Naomi's interaction with Rick; he's the first guy, so it doesn't really matter right now......... PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW AND TELL ME IF YOU LIKED IT!!!!!!XD**


	3. Super Klutz and Doctor Dreamy

**_Chapter 3_**

**I didn't get too many reviews for the last chapter(or the one before that, actually...) and I know people are reading my story, but they just aren't reviewing. I did get a couple of alerts, though, but if you add anything like that, PLEASE REVIEW WITH IT. I might even go so far as to discontinue this fan fiction if I get like one review for every chapter. :'( PLEASE DONT MAKE ME DO THAT!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sorry for the threat, but....  
And I know that the cows are allowed to roam free in the game, but I just changed that for this story;)**

May stood, laughing, in front of the pen of raging cows trying to get out of their cramped cage(s). Barley and I watched on in horror, until I finally snapped out of it just in time to try something that might cost my life.

I was a crap runner, so I don't know why I tried. I wasn't even sure if May would live, let alone me. But who else was gunna do it? Barley? I scraped the ground with my shoes, getting ready for my stunt.

I dashed toward the little girl, who was now only a couple inches away from the cows, and shoved her to the side with all my might. She hit the ground with a thud, but got up almost immediately. She had just _barely _gotten away from the pen, and kind of looked annoyed that I'd ruined her fun. I looked at the herd of cows. They were an inch away, from a complete estimate. The pen was too wide for me to dash away, but I tried anyway.

Failing miserably. A rather large cow charged straight for me. Her horns went right into my stomach, turning everything black.

--

".....stomach will get a bruise. She might have dizzy spells at times, and a bump, but otherwise, she'll be fine." A deep male voice, certainly not Barley's, spoke.

"I'll take complete responsibility for this, Doctor. Send the bill to Yodel Ranch, I'll pay for whatever she needs for this." That was Barley's voice, cracked with worry.

I stirred a little, moaning. My gut hurt a lot, and my head throbbed.

"Oh, Doctor, she's waking!" A high-pitched, kinda girlish voice called out now. Footsteps came closer, at a swift pace. A warm hand rested on my forehead.

"Naomi. Naomi, wake up." A soothing voice, the same deep one I'd heard earlier, was right at my ear. Hot breath brushed my face. I opened my eyes. A dark haired man's handsome face was right up to mine. In spite of myself, I blushed. He smiled. "How do you feel?"

"....my head hurts," I replied. He frowned slightly.

"It should be gone soon. Elli, could you get me the Tylenol bottle, please?" he said in response. Barley went _ahem_. The doctor sighed. "And put it on Barley's tab." A girl with really short, light brown hair and a funky dress gave me an emotionless glance as she stalked out into the main room.

"Oh! Barley, no, I just met you, I'm not going to let you pay...!" I realized Barley felt guilty for his granddaughter's actions.

He silenced me with a wave of his hand. "You just moved here, it's okay. Doctor Trent doesn't charge much, anyway. No matter what you say, you can't stop me from paying." he added sternly as I tried to protest. I found myself smiling_. Such nice people. _

"Thank you," I told him. He just smiled in response.

The girl, Elli, came back in with a bottle of Tylenol. She handed it to me. "I'm Elli, the nurse."

"I'm Naomi."

"I know."

"...okay."

The doctor butted in. "And I'm Doctor Trent. I'm very pleased to meet you. You seem like a fine young girl, strong enough to run Diamond Farm." His smile was quite melting... and were those muscles under his smock? I blushed. "Is something wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"Wh-what? No!! No, I'm fine!" _Crap! He saw me blushing... ragh!_ He laughed.

"If you ever feel crappy, come here. Elli and I will try our best to help you." Elli nodded her approval to the doctor's statement. _She seems nice enough, just really protective of Trent.....she must like him a lot....oh well._ "You can even come by just to talk, if you want," Trent added. Something in Elli's face flickered, but she nodded slowly.

"I guess I can go now.....explore the town a little more," I said, eager to get out of a possible love triangle. The doctor almost looked disappointed, and it was sad to leave him like that (especially if he liked me...?) but I had to get around town.

"Okay," Doctor finally said. "But you'd better hurry, and hit the shops first, cuz they're gunna close soon." I must've been asleep for a while...

I smiled. "Okay, and thank you, all of you."

I ran out of the clinic quickly. _Wow, _I thought with a giggle, _talk about Doctor Dreamy!_ _It might be worth getting hurt, if _he _nurses me back to health! Oh, but then there's that Elli girl....... I hope we can be friends.... if she doesn't hate me cuz she thinks I'm gunna steal Trent away from her._

I shook the strange thoughts out of my head, walking down the street. _"Hit the shops first, cuz they're gunna close soon." _I remembered the doctor's words. I walked for a short while, to the next building over. It said 'General Store.' _Jee, creative name._ I walked in, and a bell went _ding. _A man, not on the taller side, stood behind a counter, talking to a woman with a taut bun in her hair. They both looked at me. "Oh, er, should I leave...?" I asked, confused.

The man smiled. "No, no. We were just talking, and you startled us. We've never seen you before, and we don't usually get many customers at this time, see. Oh, I'm Jeff, by the way."

The woman beside him smiled. "And I'm his wife, Sasha. We own this place."

"Ah, my name is Naomi, I am the current owner of Diamond Farm. But you can call me Skye. It's a pleasure to meet you," I bowed.

Sasha laughed. "What a polite young girl! Why, you should work in town, not on a farm! Unless you're a hick or something..."

"...I like working on the farm. I've had enough of convenience stores, thank you _very _much. It's the reason I live here now," I told her darkly. "You're the hick," I added under my breath.

She seemed surprised. "Oh, I-I'm sorry..."

There was a long pause. But I wasn't about to apologize, she'd basically insulted me. "Say," Jeff was the one to break the silence. "Have you met our daughter, Karen? She's about your age, I think."

I shook my head. "Nope. I'm sure I'll see her around, though."

"You wanna buy anything, or save your money for bigger fish, or something to fry them in?" Jeff asked suddenly. Sasha hit him. It sounded like she said, 'Thats rude!' _Not as rude as you, old lady._

I almost forced a smile to my lips. I wasn't really digging Sasha right now. "No, I'll save up. _Thanks,_ though," I added roughly. I swivelled around to the door, stalking swiftly towards it.

Once I was outside, I frowned. _Jeff's okay, but I get bad vibes from Sasha, like I'm not good enough for her or something. Hmph. Someone to steer clear of already._ I heard something to my left, and looked. I gasped. Rick was with a girl on the bench beside the store! _Scandalous! _

"Hey, Rick! How's it going?" I pounced on them. (metaphorically)

He seemed to notice me for the first time. He jumped up. "Oh, hi, Skye!"

The girl beside him looked over. She didn't seem annoyed at my buddy-buddiness with Rick. In fact, a smile played at her lips. "I'm Karen. My parents own that store, but you probably know that already. They're pretty weird." She rolled her eyes. _I know. Your dad's okay, but I hate your mom. Lets be good friends! _That wasn't the right thing to say. I remembered Karen from Popuri and Lillia's conversation about ballet.

"Oh, no!! Sorry, Karen, I hafta go now! I'll see you tomorrow! Have a good night, Naomi!" Rick added to me as he ran off. _Where's the fire?_

Karen laughed. "I'm surprised. I didn't think any girl would be so fond of him as me, him being a dork and all."

"Yeah. He's a cute kid, if you can put it that way. He might be older than me!" We laughed. "He's so nice, he was so excited to give me some eggs this morning."

"I think he likes you!" I blushed slightly. "But Karen'll get you if you steal him away from her too much!" Her threat tone was playful, and her tongue stuck out from behind her smile. But her threat was true in a way. _Man,_ I thought as I watched her walk into the store,_ is there a rival for every available guy in town...? Oh well. She's nicer than her mom, even if she does look kinda weird. _

I walked on by some more houses. Then I spotted a strangely shaped building. I walked into the regular part, and immediately wished I had knocked. It was clearly a home. There was a table with a bit of a mess of papers, and a kitchen behind it. Stairs led up to a second floor, a nice pinkish red carpet hugging each step. A couple stared at me in surprise. Finally, the woman collected herself. "And who are you, barging into our home like that?" She asked me, annoyed. Her dark hair didn't reach her shoulders, a storm bubbling in her greyish eyes.

"I-I'm very sorry, ma'am, I thought this was a shop because of its strange shape...oh! Not to say that your home is ugly!! No, no, I just--uwaah!" I had been backing towards the door, bumped into the wall and tripped over a small end table with a porcelain Buddha statue. My head knocked into the table, casting it over to one side and sending the statue crashing down on my head. _Oh well, _I thought dazedly, _at least its an excuse to go see Doctor Dreamy. _

"Oh, god, look at you, you foolish klutz!" The woman ran worriedly over to me, cradling my bleeding head. Her eyes were comforting and motherly now. "I can tell you're a farmer, just from that. Basil, dear, would you carry her over to the clinic? Hurry, please, it'll be closing soon."

A strong pair of hands picked me up. The door opened, and the setting sun blinded me from the top of a house. Basil rushed me to the Doctor.

When we finally reached it, Elli was walking out. She saw us, and gasped. "Oh, my, not again! DOCTORRR!!!"

"What is it, Elli?!" he ran out from behind the curtains. He saw me and sighed. "Two visits in one day? What am I going to do with you?" Trent took me out of Basil's hands, into his own, and rested me on the bed. He kind of seemed happy that I was there again. "Do you feel faint?"

"A little." I managed. He wrapped some bandages over my head.

"Wash yourself up when you get home. Your hair is a mess." Elli advised me.

"Yes, and _be careful, _Naomi_._ It'd be a shame to lose a face as pretty as yours," The doctor told me. I blushed. "Call me Skye," I told him. The door suddenly slammed, and the same female voice from the house I'd just trashed came in.

"Is she all right?" she rushed into my curtained-off area. She laughed softly. "I'm Anna, and this is my husband Basil."

"I'm Naomi, but people call me Skye." I'd said that so many times in one day....

"Come to the library tomorrow. Our daughter, Mary, works there. She's your age, and a bookworm."

Mary sounded like a good person. I was quite the bookworm, myself.

"Okay," Trent said after a conversation with Elli. "You're good to go now."

--

I lay in my bed, thinking. After I got home, I washed my hair with some water from the river, along with my clothes and the bedsheets from the day before. I was totally wiped, only with more town 'adventures' tomorrow...oh well. I turned out the big light, turning on my little night-light. (hey, I like to be able to see my surroundings) I rolled over and slammed into the wall. _Oh boy._

--

**I hope you liked it! If you did, REVIEW!!! I kind of just write as I go along, with only a small blueprint of the chapter in my head, so its sometimes random. If you review, the next few chapters will tell you why her nickname's Skye.*laughs evilly* Oh, and how did you like the interactions of Doctor? He seems to like her, and she certainly doesn't mind being around him.....~lol~ Tell me who you like better; Doctor Trent or Rick? More to come soon! Review if you want another chapter! Naomi's actually a lot like me.... PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	4. Boyfriends and Dogs

**_Chapter 4_**

**_Boyfriends and Dogs_**

**Hey, sorry it took so long for chapter 4!! But here it is, with a little beer!! Whee, I had fun writing this chapter....yay. Thanksgiving is in three days (in the story, TG was like a month ago) and they must remind the boys...hehe. Please continue now!**

I sighed and fell to my knees on the ground. I'd just finished the farming part of my morning… and it was tiring, even if there wasn't very much to do-yet. Well, that's what Tokyo did to me, I'm sure…

Suddenly, I heard a clatter behind me. I whipped around, ready to kill. I relaxed slightly at the sight of the character- he didn't look very manly or tough.

"Er…who are you, and why are you here?" I asked, remaining cautious.

The man straightened in his police uniform. "I have come to meet you, I am Harris, the police man of Mineral Town. Nothing bad really ever happens here, though. Ah, I am Mayor Thomas's son. I'm pleased to meet you."

I blinked, but smiled and nodded. _Strange man…that's what I get for moving to the country. _I thought. But he seemed nice enough. "Nice to meet you, too."

He coughed. "So, if something ever happens around here, you just give big Harris a call." He saluted me and walked away.

_Not so big…_ I thought. _There's a better chance of you calling on me. That was a really random visit, Mr Police man…_ Then I realized I had to get changed. I'd ordered some clothes from the city (even thought it goes against everything I believe in…heheh… like that South Park episode about Wal-Mart) and they came in this morning. I was surprised at the speed of the delivery. The deliveryman, Zack, said he comes everyday around five in the evening to collect shipments and give me meh moolah.

I ran inside, eager to get out of my dirty clothes. I threw them in a drawer and tried on the grey t-shirt with a cute mouse playing the violin on it, and some jeans, deciding I'd wear that. My hair was a mess, so I just threw it up in a ponytail.

I looked at the time and gasped."Crap! I promised Popuri I'd be there for nine! It's nine fifteen already!!" I jumped into my Vans skater shoes (also ordered from Hell) and raced out the door, not bothering to check the mail.

I slowed to a jog as I turned the corner, spotting Popuri in the vacant lot by her house. She looked irritated.

"Hey, Poppy." I said as I slowed my pace to a walk. (teehee, I already have a nickname!XD) (well…she told me to call her that)

She looked up at me and frowned. "You're late."

I nodded. "Yes. Sorry."

Her frown lightened. "Just don't do it again. Okay, we hafta go remind the boys about Thanksgving," she winked at me.

"Thanksgiving?" I knew it was coming, but…

She nodded. "Yep, the boys give you cookies or something as a payment for the chocolates from last year's Valentine's day."

"But I wasn't here last year, no one will give me cookies."

"I'm sure Rick will, now lets go." She grabbed my wrist and I 'followed' her down the road, over to the Inn I hadn't visited yet.

She slammed the door open. "Ann!!" she yelled.

"Yes?" A voice called from up the stairs. I looked. A bubbly red head stood at the top of the stairs.

"Lets remind the boys, shall we? They're still here?"

Ann nodded, then seemed to notice me. "Hey, who're you? Visitor? We have one free room."

I shook my head. "No, no, I'm the new farmer, Naomi. But you can call me Skye." I told her.

Ann smiled. "I'm Ann, lets be friends, Skye!" I smiled back at her. Popuri glided up the stairs, giggling, and I followed.

They turned to me at a closed door. "Okay, so we're gunna barge in and tell them its Thanksgiving tomorrow."

I nodded slowly, thinking, _whoa, that's a little extreme…_

Ann turned the key slowly, doing the same with the door knob, and crept in quietly. Both boys in here- who I'd not yet met (haha, that rhymes)- were still in bed, sleeping.

The brown haired boy muttered, "Ann…." She blushed. "….get away. Ahhhhh!" She twitched.

Popuri signaled to us with her fingers, 1, 2, 3…

"BRING US COOKIES IN THREE DAYS!!!!" we screamed. They both shot up instantly.

Blondy got pissed, but brunette was like, "What?"

"Gray, you'll bring us some, right?" Poppy smiled. Gray got redder with anger.

"I told you not to come in until we're awake!" he hissed.

"But this is a special occasion!" Ann fake-whined. "And you," she said, turning to the other one. "What's all this about 'Ann, get away, ahhh'? Cliff?"

Cliff went red. "Nightmares." He laughed it off. "Who're you?" he looked at me to change the subject.

"Oh, I'm Naomi. Please call me Skye."

"I hate that guy….phantom thief, stupid criminal…" I went red, remembering how I got the nickname. "Oh right, I'm Gray. I work at Saibara's, the blacksmith." He studied me. "You're pretty cute… don't be like Poppy here and eat too much," he teased.

"Hey!" Popuri protested. "Why don't you go back to your angry self?"

"Kay." He said, flicking his hat up his arm, to his head.

"That's a cool trick," I told him. "Really cool."

He smiled at me. "Thanks." He grabbed a duffel bag and went across the hall, probably to the bathroom. _You're cute yourself… _I told him in my mind.

My attention snapped back to Cliff when he spoke. "I'm Cliff. Nice to meet you." He gave me an almost half-hearted smile.

"What, you don't like me?" I blurted.

He looked stunned, but then laughed. "No, no… my life's just sad."

"You're sad, emo boy. Shame," I sighed. "Another good-looking country guy down the drain….oops, I said that aloud…" I slapped my forehead, feeling embarrassed.

Cliff blinked at me, then smiled, blushing slightly. "Thanks. I guess I over exaggerate things 'til I believe them myself."

"Cookies?" Ann said irritably. _Oops, _I thought, _claimed territory…again. _

Cliff gathered his things from around the room. Gray opened the door, dressed, and called, "Cliff, it's free!" He winked at me and walked away. Cliff gave me a huge grin and closed the door behind him.

"Ooooh, you're popular," Popuri poked me. I blushed.

"No I'm not. I've never had a boyfriend before…part of the reason I moved here. But everybody's taken!" I ranted, sitting on the free bed. Something crinkled, and I flung up again. Ann sniffed.

"Kai must've left something…I'm afraid to look…" she said, going over to the bed. _Kai? _I perked. Popuri giggled. I sighed.

"Yup, he did. Girly magz." Ann sighed as she held up, indeed, a girly magazine. Popuri continued giggling, then stopped abruptly.

"So, you're popular here! Every guy likes you so far!" she said, _teehee_ing at the end.

"But everyone has someone already!!!" I cried in distress. I really wanted out of this conversation.

"Well…we can see who Cliff likes better…" Ann suggested, muttering, "Me." I wasn't supposed to hear that, I'm sure.

I sighed. "Whatever. I'm still really new here, I'll warm up to someone."

We came out of the room, down the stairs, and over to the barkeeper…dude. "Hey dad. This is Doug, my dad. He owns the place, hence the name 'Doug's Inn'." Actually, I hadn't noticed the name, but I gave him a warm smile as I introduced myself.

--

By the end of the day, I had met almost everyone in town with Ann and Popuri. I still hadn't visited the library, Mineral Beach or the area 'below' my farmland. I stretched. "Well, that was interesting."

"C'mon, I'll treat you guys to some drinks." Ann proposed. Poppy and I accepted.

When we walked into the inn, I gasped. The whole town must have been there!

"Wow," I breathed.

Ann smiled. "Yup, once the workday's over, the place is flooded! C'mon, there's the boys!"

Popuri squealed. "Eeee, and they're right next to the counter where we get our drinks!" She looked at me. "I can drink a lot, girl, trust me. And I like it," she winked and ran off as Ann laughed, beckoning for me to come with her.

"Hi!" she greeted. Cliff looked up and waved (more to me than Ann I think) and Gray nodded. Cliff ordered us both a beer on his tab.

"Thanks, Cliff, that's really sweet!" I told him happily. And it was; the beer here was AMAZING. Cliff threw me a really warm smile, and I found myself blushing. We ended up in a blushing contest, seeing who could blush the hardest…(yeah, right)

Finally Gray stood up, sliding his cup down the table to Doug, who snatched it just as it was about to go off the edge. He gave Gray a smile and wave, and Gray returned it, his smile somewhat smaller.

"Closing time in ten, people, please try to finish up!" Doug yelled to the bar. The chatter stopped briefly, but everyone continued, going faster this time.

"Ciao," Gray told us goodbye, and Cliff got up to bow. Ann walked me to the door; Rick was trying to get Popuri to stop drinking.

"See you tomorrow, Skye!" Ann said goodbye with a smile; she looked exhausted.

I smiled back to her, fatigued myself, and quickly ran off back to Diamond Farm.

I fiddled with the key. I dropped them in fear when I heard a snarling in the field. I turned slowly to see a nasty looking dog about to eat me. I whimpered, and slid down the door to the ground. Then, more barking joined in, and the cutest puppy ran up and totally KO'ed the big demon. It ran away with its tail between its legs.

The puppy turned to me happily, barking and wagging its tail. "Thanks, buddy," I told him. "You completely saved my ass." I got up and patted it on the head. It ran over to my door, and I followed him, saying bye as I walked in. But the dog darted into my house.

I hesitated, but shrugged. The dog was clean, and I'd take him to the doctors tomorrow. Besides, I was way too tired to try getting it out. "I'll call you…Candy." I patted him on the head again. "Are you potty trained?" I asked, laughing. It looked like it nodded. I froze. _Omigawd. Holy crap. That's friggin scary. Bedtime!!!_ I thought, panicked by the dog's response.

I quickly changed, and jumped into bed, grateful for its…softness.

--

**Hey, guys, thanks for reading!! REVIEW IF YOU WANT ANOTHER CHAPTER!!! Anonymous reviews are accepted, and if you add me to favs. or something, PLEASE REVIEW WITH IT!!!!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And tell me who you like better, Rick, Dr Trent, Cliff or Gray, because I have something in store for the lucky winner...sorry, Kai fans, it isn't summer yet, so he isn't here yet. Yay, Library visit next chapter!! And then, Thanksgiving! And then..something! And then, summer and Kai!! And then, all will be revealed as for why Naomi's nickname is Skye......nehehehehehehehehehehehehehREVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	5. Bookworms

_**Chapter 5**_

**_Bookworms_**

**Oooohhh....I got a couple of reviews....so I'm updating. I just enjoy writing this, and Take On Mineral Town by Eve Pomme has inspired me, as well as Cakes of the Pineapple Kind by ChellyBaby. And so, Eve, CB, I dedicate this chapter to you!!!!! (Sorry it might be a little short) Enjoy!!**

I knocked on the door of the library before opening it. "Hello? Is anybody in here?"

"Eep!" A small voice came from a gigantic book. "Oh, h-hello. I'm sorry if I startled you, I'm Mary. I work here, my father owns it. He's written some of the books here- oh! I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Please, introduce yourself." Mary used her index and middle finger to push her glasses up her nose, embarrassed.

I laughed. "I'm Naomi, but you can call me Skye. What book are you reading, Mary?"

"O-oh this? It's _Twilight._ Have you read it?" Mary responded, beginning to look a bit more comfortable.

"Really? Oooh, I love that book! I just finished _New Moon_ before I got here. To Mineral Town, I mean. So where are you in it?" I asked her, pulling up a chair beside her. She told me where she was (she was smart enough to not ask if I was the new farmer, since it was rather obvious that I was) and she had almost finished.

"I like Alice, she's so cool! And I like Jasper too, even though he isn't completely trained yet." I said after she finished the chapter.

"Yeah, I like Alice too! But I like Emmett better than Jasper." Mary told me.

We delved into a deep conversation about the books, then it turned into a talk about Robert Pattinson, then Rachelle Levfre(I think that's how you spell it), then I lost track. I was starting to really like Mary.

"Mary? Are you in here?" The door opened and Gray stepped. His eyebrows raised when he saw me there with Mary.

"Hi, Gray! How are you?" Mary greeted, a thin layer of red spreading across her face. I sighed inwardly.

"Uhh…fine. Why are you here, Skye?" Gray asked, his attention quickly turning to me.

"Oh, I just came to check out the library, and met Mary. We're both total bookworms, I can tell, so we were talking for who knows how long!" I grinned back at him. He still looked surprised.

"What, you think I can't make friends just 'cause Karen doesn't like me?" Mary quipped to Gray, annoyed.

"No, its just that… I didn't think Skye here was the book type."

I stood up. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!"

Gray laughed and flicked my forehead playfully. "That you looked a little superficial is all, if that even makes sense." I brushed the spot where he flicked me with my fingers, looking deep into his face as he laughed. _He really is cute… you just have to get him going so that he isn't grumpy. _

I looked at Mary. She was surprised that Gray was so friendly to me, I could tell. But she didn't seem the least bit angered by it.

"Well then, I'll just leave you two nerds to your nerdiness then. 'Bye!" he flew out the door as I whipped the fifth Harry Potter book, which was on the shelving cart, (it was hardcover) at the door.

"You're the nerd!" I yelled to the door; it chuckled, which told me Gray was there until footsteps told me he was leaving. (…Gray chuckled, not the door)

"So, you're friends with Gray?" Mary said, giggling as I plunked down onto the chair again.

"Yeah, kinda. Popuri introduced him to me yesterday on our way around town, along with Cliff. They're both pretty, doncha think?" I said, winking.

Mary smiled. "Yes…" she sighed. "I'm sure you could tell, but I like Gray. Well… I'm not sure, really… I feel like I… love…him….but I don't care if he goes out with someone else. I just want him to be happy, is all."

"That's a really good quality in people. You're a good person, Mary." I gave her a hug and gathered my bag. "I gotta go, see ya around!"

Mary smiled and waved as I walked out the door.

_Now that's love…at least she'd be okay with it if I went out with Gray… GAH, what am I thinking!? _I sighed. "Damn, I need a man…"

"You'll get one soon…" A velvet voice whizzed past my ear, and I broke out in a cold sweat as I whipped around. I sighed. No one was there, but suddenly I felt timid. I ran to the closest building- the Church.

The minister guy (I don't go to Church, I wouldn't know) looked up and smiled. "Naomi I presume?"

I nodded. "Please…er, father, call me Skye."

He laughed. "I'm Carter, not father. Say, have you met Cliff?" he pointed to the brown heap on the front bench.

"Yes, I have. Heya, Cliff, how's it going?" I said happily as I made my seat beside him.

He looked up, surprised. "Oh… uh, okay I guess."

My smile fell. "Why are you so sad?" I whispered, almost inaudible. His sorrowful eyes met mine, and we stared at each other, until we were both blushing, then whipped away. _Why am I like this with all of them? _I thought.

"So… you guys make a good couple." Carter approached cautiously.

"Go preach, preacher." I snapped quietly, growling a little. He held up his hands and walked away, but I could tell he wasn't really sorry.

After a few more minutes, I stood up, but Cliff had too, so I ended up tripping over him and going face-first into his chest; he had to hold me to stop my further stumbling (and his).

"A-ah!! I-I'm so sorry, Cliff, I-," My face burned.

He looked at me weirdly, then laughed. "It's okay, it's okay!! It was an accident right?" he let me go, and I gave a little wave before running out the door.

"What was that, you naughty girl?" the velvet voice whispered into my ear.

I swatted blindly with my hand until I realized no one was there. I sighed again, only to jump again.

"Skye, why are you still out?" Gray quipped.

"Gah! Don't scare me like that, Gray!! Oh, I was in the Church, talking to Cliff for a little while."

Gray smiled. "That's good. He's been a little…distant since he's been here. On a lighter note, can I walk you home? Its getting dark, that idiot Phantom Thief might be around."

I let out an 'eep!' as I nodded.

--

"So, I'll see you tomorrow, probably," Gray waved goodbye.

"Yup! Thanks so much for walking me home, be careful on your way back to the Inn!" I called, waving a little back at him.

"Who, me, Macho Gray? I think not!" he laughed, his back turned. I smiled, chuckling.

"Another good day, Candy, except for the Church. Ahhh, I'm so glad I moved to Mineral Town…" I curled up on my bed with Candy and my book until I read myself to sleep.

--

**Soo.....if you liked it, please review! Especially if you want another chapter!!! Two more days till Thanksgiving, it'll probably be next chapter. Well, bye!!**


	6. Thanksgiving

**_Chapter 6- Thanksgiving_**

**Sorry its so short......**

I woke to a tapping on my door. Groggily, I went to answer it.

"Hello! We're here to give you some chocolates, Skye!" Rick told me cheerfully. Behind him were Gray, Cliff and Trent. They all held pretty boxes, and had pink faces. Then they saw me and went scarlet.

"Eh…?" Then I went red myself, remembering my short silk nightgown. The boys looked down at my bare legs, then back up at me, then down again. "E-eeek!" I slammed the door in their faces. I ran around and collected my clothes for the day, which consisted of dark jeans and a blue t-shirt that read _'I'm the grumpy friend'. _I brushed my hair out and rinsed my mouth, dashing around the room and finishing within five minutes.

When I opened the door again, the boys were all still there. I stepped out, embarrassed.

"Erm…sorry about that… a-and thank you for the chocolates!" I stuttered.

Gray snorted. "_Don't_ be sorry, really, we definitely weren't hurt by that… ha ha! I'm glad I filmed that, Kai will be flying high when he sees. Your hair wasn't even messed up!" he laughed, smiling, which was unusual from what I'd seen and heard.

"You filmed that!?" I shouted. He smirked, threw me the candies and ran. The others followed his lead. "Yeah, you better run!!!" Cliff was the only one that stayed.

"Uhm…" his voice cracked. He blushed. "Well… Ann usually lets me have Thanksgiving dinners at the inn… and, well… maybe you want to come too? She's always telling me that there's never too many people at the inn…"

I smiled. "You're really sweet, you know that, Cliffy?" I told him. He smiled. "Sure, I'll come. But make sure it actually is okay with Ann…"

He looked so happy when he said goodbye, it was like a kid at Christmas. I was glad I said yes.

I looked at the chocolates the boys had given me. They were all Lindt…my favourite.

I got to work on the farm…. I really needed some livestock. All my plants were watered then I was bored… so I went out the back entrance of the farm. I went up the first path I saw. There was a hot spring! And a pretty lake with clear, glistening water… I picked up a flower that was growing beside it, and took in its scent. It was so fresh… then the wind blew, and the flower escaped my grasp, blowing into the water. "Aww…"

There was a heavenly light, a big flash, and I had to shield my eyes. When I was able to open them again, I saw a beautiful figure hovering over the water. Her dress rippled like the water in the wind, her purple (what the hell?) locks swishing all around her…

"Who… what are you?" I whispered.

She smiled graciously at me. "The Harvest Goddess, young one. It's been a long time since anyone has summoned me… I've been cramped there for a while…" suddenly, her pretty eyes narrowed at me. "I sense something…wrong about you. Almost…evil. Or that something evil is always watching over you." My shoulders tensed and my hands clenched. "I… know." My voice was inaudible-the HG could of heard or not, who knows. All I know is her face was troubled as she bid me farewell.

--

"Wow, Ann, this looks really good… thank you so much!" I told her gleefully at dinner.

She smiled. "Thanks, but you've already said that so many times! Now start eating!"

None of us waited for an answer- Cliff, Doug and I all began wolfing down Ann's delicious meal, and soon Ann joined us. It was great, me and Ann were beginning to be friends, though she still might be tinged about the whole Cliff thing.

I thanked them a lot, they were actually annoyed. I left soon after I finished eating-I was exhausted from everything.

I plopped down on my bed and fell into a dreamless sleep as soon as I hit the pillow.

--

**If you liked that and want another chapter, REVIEW!!!!**


	7. Getcher Cook On

**_Chapter 7-Getcher Cook On_**

**Hai, so due to a threat from ChellyBaby (;) :P, lol) I updated quickly. Here's your juicy chapter, delving into Skye's past a little...**

_"Naomi, accept it! You can't turn back now! So what if you can't get a boyfriend? If you go through with this, then all the boys will be swarming you!" He was agitated, and completely worried as he gripped my wrist._

"_No! I don't want to! I want to win a boy over because he actually likes me, not because I look good!" I struggled to break free from his grasp. _

"_Naomi, come on, its not plastic surgery! It's not a boob job! You won't just look good! It's-,"_

"_Shut UP! Let GO! I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" I beat against his chest as the hot tears stained my cheeks. _

_He whispered softly into my ear. "It's okay, Naomi."_

"_How would you know!? You backed down from it yourself!"_

"_I went with a different choice, okay? They asked me, and I refused because there was something else!"_

"_No! You were just afraid!"_

"_I wasn't! I didn't want to be what killed my mom and dad, okay!?"_

"_So you think I do!"_

"_Will you just listen!?"_

"_Why can't you leave her alone? Really." Someone else entered the room, speaking in a calm but firm tone. _

"_You…" his grip loosened, and I ran from the room, knocking shoulders with the other guy. _

"_I'll always watch over you." He whispered. "No one will get you."_

_Knock…knock…knock…_

I threw my pillow at the door. "Gah!! Why can't you people just leave me alone!? I already told you I didn't want to go to the horse race, god dammit!"

"Skye, you lazy bum, come to the freaking door!" Popuri's voice was muffled from behind the door. "The horse race was three days ago! NOW ANSWER THE DOOR!"

"No! I am going to keep sleeping no matter _what _you tell me!! HAHAHAHA!!!" Then you snuggled down under the covers, grabbing for my… my…

I looked at my pillow, lying at the foot of the door. It was all like '_Haha, you have to come get me. Come on. Get up. Come get me.' _I was like '_No.'_ Then it laughed more. _'Fine, then answer the door. HAHA!! If you answer the door, then you have to pick me up!'_ I got up, my scrunched flannel pant legs sliding down again, grumbling, "God dammit..."

I picked up the pillow and opened the door. "What!"

She giggled at my messy hair. "Well, the cooking festival is tomorrow! Do you want to come?"

This was like a splash of cold water on my face. "What? Yeah, of course I do! Can I use your kitchen…or something? There isn't one in my house. What can I make? Oh, oh! I'm gunna make my chocolate-peanut butter fudge mousse cake!"

She looked stunned. "Wow, you didn't look like the kind who liked to cook, but sure! That cake sounds delicious! Come to the inn today at 1:00pm, you can use the kitchen there. See ya later, Skye!"

"Bye, thanks for the warning!!" I waved at her. I slammed the door behind me, stretching. Candy ran up to me, barking. I picked her up and hugged her tightly while she licked my face. "Wheee, this is gunna be great!"

I put Candy down and looked at the pillow. "I hate you."

_'I hate you too. I'm gunna let the bed bugs in tonight. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!'_

Candy looked at me like _WTF? _Then I snapped out of my…er, trance, yeah, lets go with that…

"Wow…inanimate objects are talking to me now. I have to stop eating roast chicken chips while watching South Park before bed…"

I threw on my plaza Argentina shirt with a simple pair of jeans and went out to water the plants. I thought about the dream I'd been having before Popuri had come.

That was when I was in Tokyo…a few weeks before Mineral Town, actually…

I was watering the crops, with water, of course. I was staring into space at the cool, crystal clear liquid… then it turned red. I gasped, and whipped it at the rock closest to me. I fell to the ground, panting. "What… what do you want with me?!" I yelled. "You'll always watch over me!? Stop trying to be my guardian angel, because they aren't supposed to scare the freakin' crap out of you! Why are you giving me these signs!? Do you want me to be a monster!?"

The wind blew, ruffling my hair in the breeze. I stood shakily, and walked over to the watering can. I picked it up and poured some onto my hand; it was still-

"Skye? Are you… are you okay?" Popuri's worried voice came from behind me. The water was water again.

"Huh? O-oh, yeah, I'm fine. I just… slipped, is all." I told her, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead.

"But… you were screaming…" Popuri's brow creased in worry.

"It's er… nothing. It's a…song that I came up with! Yeah! It's to let loose all of the bad things in life…"

"Oh, uh, okie… w-well, can you sing it again?" Popuri sounded afraid.

_She thinks you're unstable. _The wind whispered into my ear.

"Shut up!" I yelled. I saw Popuri jump. "Oh, uh, then it goes…

"What, what do you want with me? You-ou'll always watch ov-verr me? Stop tryin' to be my guardian a-a-a-ngel, cause they aren't supposedd to scare the frea-ea-eakin crap out of mee-ee-ee-ee! Whyareyougivingme these signs!? Do you WANT me to BE aaaaaaaaa mo-o-o-o-on-sterrr!" I said, stressing and stretching words and syllables so that it sounded like a song.

Popuri was stunned. _Crap…_ Then she started clapping, beaming at me. "Wow, that was really good!! I liked it a lot, really, I did!"

"Wow, really? I always thought I was a little tone deaf…" I said, rubbing the back of my neck.

"No, seriously, it was good!" she urged.

"A-ahahaha…" _What kind of crap music do _you _listen to?_ I wanted to say. But that wouldn't be lady-like. :)

--

"So…you're serious." I said.

"Yes."

"Seriously."

"Yes."

"Seriously. Like, you're not lying to me."

"SHUT UP AND START COOKING!"

"But you have to be serious for me to do that."

Ann kicked me. I held my shin. "Umm, ow!" Popuri kicked my other leg. "Ah! Assassination!"

They laughed, and left me to cook. I didn't need a recipe for my Uber-Awesome Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Fudge-Mousse-Cake, because I had made it so many times, it was stuck in my head with glue.

I whisked, shaped, poured, mixed, baked, dropped, broke, messed…uh… yeah, anyway, to my heart's content. Out came my Uber-Awesome… you get it! It looked SO good, not to toot my own horn…(I hate that phrase, always have, yet here I am, using it-_-")

I put the cake in its case and opened the door. Cliff was walking down the stairs.

"Heya, Cliff! Whazzup?" I asked cheerfully.

He noticed me for the first time. He smiled and waved. "Hi, Skye. Oh, I'm just on my way to the church."

"Tsk, do you really have to go to the church every single day?" I asked him, setting the cake down on a table.

He smiled weakly. "I got nothing better to do, really."

"Aww, sure you do. Why not make a date with Ann or something? She seems to really like you."

He twitched. "Y-yeah… m-maybe I will…"

"Oh! Unless you and Ann are just friends, then I mean…gah!"

"No, it's okay. I mean, Ann's not the only girl in town," his eyes sparkled.

"Well, uh, okay. Bye!" I picked up my cake and went out the door. I gasped; the sun was already setting. _That certainly took up a long time, didn't it?_

--

I stepped into Rose Square. The whole town must have been there, plus some extremely fat guy in red with a ponytail. There were so many other dishes there: cookies, jams, muffins, pies…

"Skye! Over here!" Popuri cupped her hand over mouth, waving frantically so I'd notice her. It was hard not to; I think the whole town was watching her, eyebrows raised, thinking _'Wow, another one for insane asylum.' _

I stalked over to her, shooing some other people away. "Good morning!" I greeted her happily.

Ann ran over. "Jeez, ya sure made a mess in my kitchen! It better be worth it!"

I laughed. "Aheheh…sorry. But it will!! Mah cake is amazingly amazing!"

Elli slammed her dish down on a table, glaring at me. "I WILL win Trent over! Just you watch!"

"Erm…excuse me?" I asked, taken aback.

"You little…you're trying to steal my precious doctor away! I won't let you, you evil, slimy-!"

I slammed my fist on the table, too hard; my strength was a little more, er, capable than most others due to my…uhm… predicament. It produced a loud bang, which slightly startled some of the villagers. "Well, it looks like _your _sweet-n-innocent act is only for doc, eh? Well, I'll tell you something, your…"

"Jam."

"That too. Well, it's no match for my Uber-Awesome, etc, etc, cake, okay! And what gives you the idea I'm trying to win over Doctor Dreamy?" I winked at Popuri, and she stifled a giggle. Elli started to say something, going a little pink, but I cut her off. "You know what? You're ugly, evil, a stalker and a terrible cook! BAM! You're self-esteem just went down 15%!! HAHA!! Beat that! Go home, Elli, we don't need _your kind _here!"

She was completely taken aback. Stunned, she picked up her dish and walked away, rather wobbly. _And maybe they don't need mine…_I shook the thought away and laughed.

"Hmm…make that 30%."

Popuri and Ann burst into laughter. Ann whapped me on the back. "That was freakin' RICH!" Popuri wiped a tear from her eye, nodding.

We all let out 'GAH!'s when the speaker right beside us blasted Mayor Thomas's voice. 'Well, we'll begin the judging now! All contestants, place your entries on the table for our wonderful judge, Gourmet-," _what a name. _"-to test and judge!"

Elli went first, her knees still shaking. Gourmet tasted it, and didn't change his expression. Elli walked away sadly. Anna went next, he smiled at her and ate the rest. All the competitors went until it was Karen and I.

He seemed to really like Karen's, cause he laughed and ate the rest.

Then he looked at me, then down to the cake. "What do you call it?"

I gulped, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. "Uhm… it's my Uber-Awesome-Chocolate-Peanut-Butter-Fudge-Mousse-Cake, sir."

He laughed, and some people in the crowd chuckled. "A bright young lady…" he took a bite of the cake, and I nibbled my bottom lip. He ate his entire slice! His eyes glimmered as he stared down at the cake. "Why… this is amazing! The winner, right here, by _far_!" he stood and held up my hand.

The crowd roared, it's cheering to be heard in Tokyo. Every single person clapped, even Elli. Karen, Popuri and Ann came up and hugged me.

"You did good, kid! I haven't lost in a few years! Good job!" Karen told me, truly beaming. _Now here's a good person!_

I didn't actually get a prize, but everyone took a bite of the cake, and they all loved it. It felt so good to win!

--

When I got back in, I slipped my shoes off and flopped down on my bed. "See?" I told my 'guardian angel'. "I knew I could make it here."

The voice hissed. _'Try getting a boyfriend, then…huhuhu.'_

I frowned. "You'll see."

I crawled into bed, Candy at my feet. "Good night," I yawned.

'_I'll let the bedbugs bite! MWAHAHA!"_ My pillow told me.

--

**Hi, I hope you liked it! Please review if you want another chapter! _REMEMBER YOUR FAVOURITE COUPLE!_**


	8. Beach Boy

**_Chapter 8- Beach Boy_**

**Here it isss!!!! Yay~~~Hey, ummm...should I continue this story? **

**Haha, of course I should LOL~~ Merry Christmas, er, Boxing Day! XD**

I closed my eyes and let the wind take me, sakura petals swirling all around me. I was on a little stroll behind the farm…that way no one could torture me for information on my cake. It smelled beautiful and felt like heaven…until I started walking.

Suddenly, something rammed into me and I went straight down into the pavement.

My head hurt, and so did my leg. I rubbed my head, moaning, "Owww…"

"A-ah! I'm sorry, I wasn't looking at where I was going! Are you okay?" a male voice asked. He really did sound concerned.

I opened my eyes. A really, really cute, tanned guy in a bandana was kneeling next to me, looking panicked.

"Oh, uh, yeah…fine." I managed, blushing.

He shot a huge, boyish grin at me; he was so cute! I swooned over him inwardly until he started talking.

"Hi, I'm Kai. I come here every summer, but I don't remember seeing you here last here… are you new? Oh, durh, of course you are…well, are you staying at the inn?" he said. The way it came out, it was a little confusing. I just stared, confused. He blinked, then burst into laughter. "Sorry, sorry! That must have baffled you, I do that a lot! What I meant to say was, where are you staying?"

It finally clicked in my brain. "Oh! Uh, I own Diamond Farm, just up the road there…I bought it in the early spring. You come here in the summer, only, you said? Why?"

He seemed happy to talk to me. We shifted over to lean on a tree and he told me about his traveling and the shack he owned on the beach.

"You should come over for dinner some time. On the house," he winked at me, and I reddened a little.

I nodded. "I'd love to!" It was only then that I noticed it was starting to get dark. "Omigawd, I should be going."

He stood. "Yeah, me too. I have to get settled in the inn. Come visit me sometime. Well, it was nice meeting you, and I'm sorry about the whole fall on the ground thing…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck with an embarrassed smile.

I giggled. "Yeah, it's fine. I'll visit you soon," I said as he started walking away.

I got to my feet and began walking again, only to find the ground come up and hit me again, pain shooting up my leg.

I held my knee to my chest. "Agh!"

In an instant, Kai was at my side again. "Are you okay? Is it your leg from when you fell the first time?"

I nodded, my leg throbbing.

"This is my fault," he said, more to himself than to me. He picked me up bridal-style.

I blushed. "H-hey, what're you doing!? Ow!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm the one who knocked you down, so I'll bring you home and call the doctor."

I wouldn't be able to walk, anyway, so I let him carry me home. (Mind you, I was red the whole way)

When we reached my house, he set me down gently onto the bed and then called the doctor with his cell.

"Heya, Doc! Long time no see! Yeah…yep…haha…oh yeah, I've met her…" he winked at me as he said this. "She's pretty cute, eh? Definitely…Elli must be pissed…what? Oh, nothing…" I groaned in pain, and that jogged his memory. "Gah, yeah! Well, I've got Skye here writhing in time in bed…what!? NO!! I was walking and then I met her and we talked but I knocked her down cuzzi wasn't paying attention and she hurt her ankle and…! Ah, crap, just get over here, you stupid therapist thing!" He shouted into his phone and then flipped it down aggressively, grumbling.

He looked over at me, and sat on the bed. "Does it still hurt?" he asked, worry suddenly clouding his eyes.

"Well, yes…but, it's getting better!" I lied. It still hurt a lot, but I didn't want to hurt the poor guy's feelings. "And the doctor's coming soon." He smiled lightly.

"Well…it's all my fault, so let me see if I can make it better… d'you mind if I use some of your ice?" he asked, jabbing his finger over to the cooler. I shook my head and he put some in a bag.

He came back and set the ice on my leg; it actually did make it feel better. We chatted a bit more, then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I called.

The door creaked open, and Trent poked his head in the door. He saw Kai lying on my bed, and smirked. Kai mouthed something that looked like, _'F off.' _

Trent opened the door all the way, and revealed half the town at my door.

Ann burst through the doorway. "Skye, are you okay!?"

"Umm…ha ha…I'm fine, Ann, don't worry. Just let Trent look at it. You all didn't have to come, you know," I added, looking past the redhead's shoulder at the rest of the crowd.

Cliff, Gray and Rick came in and asked if I was okay and stuff, and then started chatting to Kai. (Well, Rick hit him, but Kai started laughing because it didn't hurt. Then Rick walked away.) Those who remained kept shooting glances at me. It was weird.

Trent gathered his things. "It's okay, you've only got a sprain; a small one at that. You should refrain from walking for about a week, then maybe start using a cane until it stops hurting with pressure. You'll be fine." He flashed me a pure white smile, and I smiled back at him.

Popuri, Mary and Karen ran in (which was almost rare, Karen kind of avoided Popuri due a ballet incident no one will tell me about, and Mary was afraid that she would get an unexpected makeover) and shot to my side.

"Hey, are you okay?" Karen asked, looking at my wrapped up ankle.

"The doctor said it should be fine," I told her with a reassuring smile.

Mary said, "This is kind of like what just happened in my book!" I laughed.

"So, how did it happen?" Ann asked, her head cocked to one side.

"Well, Kai bumped into me, we both weren't looking where we were going. I didn't really test it until after we stopped talking. He blamed himself, and carried me back here…then we chatted some more while we waited for the doctor." I explained, pointing to Kai, who was still lounging on my bed.

Popuri shot me an icy glare. I blinked.

"What's wrong, Popuri…?" I asked, confused.

She suddenly seemed shocked with herself, and shook her head vigorously. She backed up, towards the door. "Oh, nothing…I have to get going, my mom needs help…bye!" she said hurriedly as she rushed out the door.

"What was that…?" I asked, completely baffled. Popuri acted like I was gunna kill her mom or something.

Karen sighed. "Well…Popuri has always had this huge crush on Kai…Rick hates him for it…"

Ann picked up where she left off. "And she gets very jealous. It seems she feels bad for being jealous of you, though."

"All right, everyone, leave her alone. And you guys, why are you here?" the doctor asked the guys, and they shrugged and left, wishing me well. "She needs rest."

Everyone left, but Kai. "I'll come everyday before the shop opens and do your farm work, I promise!"

"Oh, you don't need to do that…" I said, shaking my head. But the idiot wouldn't take no for an answer.

--

After Kai finally left, the voice hissed in my ear. _'Aren't you the girl of the year…'_

"Shut up," I growled.

'_That's it; I'm coming for a visit.'_

I gasped. "What?"

He chuckled. _'Not today…but I'm not going to tell you when, either…just be ready with your little boyfriends…'_

I turned on my side. "Why does this always happen…?"

'I will never stop watching you…'

"Shut up! No! How do you always know where I am!? Why can't you just leave me alone!" I cried.

'_I'm sure you remember…' _He let out a small laugh.

I blushed, and covered my head with the bed sheets, forcing myself into sleep.

--

**Please review if you want another chapter! And if you add to favourites or alert, please review and help me out!!! AND YOU, CHELLYBABY, UPDATE!!!! XDXDXD**


	9. Oh Crap

**_Chapter 9- Oh Crap_**

**So...here is a little dark part in the story... I hope you enjoy it! _Please review if you add anything to Favourites or Alert! _Thank you, you can continue. :D**

My vision was blurred the next day as realization hit me.

He would be coming. Here. _Him. _

"Ccccrraaaappp…." I whimpered, slumping down in my seat and wrapping my arms around my head, resting my pretzel-self on the table.

Ann raised an eyebrow as she sat next to me. "Dude, you're totally messed up. What's wrong?" she asked, poking me.

"You don't wanna know," I grumbled, not moving. She continued poking me.

"Yes I do," she said.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

"…I can't tell you," I mumbled finally.

"I won't tell," she said. Poke.

"Like that matters," I muttered nearly inaudibly.

Poke. Poke. It started to get more violent.

"I'm not going to tell you," I warned her. "Don't waste your arm. Go wash dishes or something. Get good use out of them."

"I refuse to leave you alone until you tell me what's bugging you, because when other people are sad, I feel sad and guilty, especially when I don't do anything," she told me, and I could hear the concern in her voice now.

I looked up at her pleadingly. "Don't think it's you. Please. It has nothing to do with you. As of now," I added under my breath. _It will if he does come…and…_I gulped. He could control himself…couldn't he?

"If you can't tell me the whole story, at least tell me what it's…based on," she told me.

I sighed and gave in. "Fine," I huffed. "But you won't understand a lot of it, not that I'll tell very much."

"I'm listening," she squeaked happily and looked at me intently.

I inhaled evenly and chose my words carefully. "Well…an, er, old friend…is coming to, er, visit, um, soon…" Wow. I was confusing even myself on this one. "But…I really don't want him too…because…ummm…." _What? _I asked myself inwardly. _He will ruin my life and lose control?_ "Because…uhm…I don't."

She frowned. "You gotta give me more than that."

"I told you I wasn't giving you too much."

"But that was confusing."

"I also told you that you wouldn't understand, either."

She raised an eyebrow again. "But _you _probably didn't even understand it either."

I closed my eyes and laughed nervously.

She stared at me.

"I'm waiting."

"You seriously think I'm going to tell you more?" I asked, surprised. "I'll probably end up saying my friend came to the funeral of my dog who shot himself but I don't want him to come because I can't get over myself and accept his death."

"So that's what happened?"

I half-groaned, half-laughed. "No way, I don't even own a gun!"

"But I'm sure Harris does."

She looked at me and I frowned.

"…Something is very wrong with you, Ann." I stood, and the chair screeched as it scraped along the ground. "I'm leaving now."

"You're going to leave me hanging like this?!" she exclaimed.

"Yes and no. You just keep believing my dog shot himself with Harris's gun for now," I chuckled darkly and left, leaving an annoyed Ann behind me.

I suddenly bumped into something fuzzy. It was raining, so it was dark, and I couldn't see much. I reached my hands up and felt it, squinting up.

"It's nice to see you, too, Skye," Cliff's voice laughed; I blushed and my hands shot back to my sides, embarrassed.

"Sorry," I whispered, still red.

He chuckled. "Usually I'm the one blushing. Its nice to have a change," he mused, patting my head. Suddenly, he tensed, then relaxed again, exhaling deeply. "Well, bye, Skye!" he told me, waving as he entered the inn.

"Smooth, Skye. Almost as smooth as crushed rocks," I mumbled to myself, frowning as I shoved my hands into my pockets.

I decided last minute to go to the chicken farm. Maybe Rick's clumsiness would amuse me and make me feel better.

I opened the door to mad howling.

"RICK!! YOU CRUSHED ALL THE NEW EGGS, YOU IDIOT!" Popuri roared, flying down the stairs after Rick, who looked scared out of his wits.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't my fault!!" Rick cried back, struggling to keep from his younger sister's grasp.

"YES IT WAS, DOLT!"

Suddenly, Rick was dashing in my direction. He only just noticed me as he crashed into me.

We fell on the floor, him on top of me. He sat up, groaning and rubbing his head. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just-," he was cut off by a deep growling in my throat. Then he realized what he was doing, his eyes widening. He moved his hand quickly away from my chest, blushing.

Suddenly, I wanted to…kill him. Like, not like other normal people, but…seriously.

Rick looked frightened. "Skye…are you wearing contacts or something? Your…your eyes are all…"

"Your eyes are red," Popuri finished for him, frowning slightly.

I growled again as he moved off, this time more like an animal.

'_Yes…' _the provocative voice whispered in my ear. '_Go on…do it…you know you really want to…look at what he did to you…'_

I was trembling.

_What's happening? _I asked myself.

The voice chuckled, satisfied. '_You know what's happening. Go on._

'_Kill him.'_

Suddenly it all fell into place. This was exactly what I _didn't _want to happen.

"N…" I breathed. Popuri's anxious eyes searched my face. "No…"

"NO!!" I wailed, clutching my head.

I was really trembling now, tears spilling over the rims of my eyes.

Popuri was suddenly at my side. "Skye!! What's wrong!? Skye!!"

I bit my lip and dashed out of the poultry farm.

'_Do you finally realize what I was trying to tell you before?'_

I clenched my teeth angrily, but said nothing to him. He chuckled.

When I got back to the farm, I slammed the door so hard a picture fell off the wall.

I threw myself on my bed and sobbed hard into my pillow.

'_Umm…it'll…be okay?'_ it told me awkwardly, and I almost laughed at myself; the pillow was talking again.

The voice was soothing this time. _'You understand now, don't you? Why you can't run from it. It will get you no matter what.'_

I stood up, nodding my head and gulping, hard. I ripped my suitcase out from the drawer and started flinging things in it blindly.

I couldn't stay there. I would cause nothing but pain for everything and everyone in Mineral Town.

'_It's okay, Skye,' _he said it almost mockingly, but I ignored it. _'They'll forgive you if you don't hurt them…'_

Then I came across the picture that had fallen on the ground. It had me…him…and _him. His _face had a large crack in it from when it had fallen earlier, though. It was okay; the last thing I wanted to see right now was _his _face.

And then there was the blast of red from the person to my right in the picture. He had me in a headlock and we were laughing, while I could just see the smile from the perfect face under the crack.

One of the few times they got along. A tight smile cracked at my lips.

'_We can attempt to go back to that. We really can, if it's what you want.'_

I didn't move for a while, until there was a knocking at my door.

"Skye!" Gray called over the rain and thunder outside.

"Go away!" my voice was hoarse, and cracked in the middle.

He growled and opened the door. He saw me packing, and crying, and a look of confusion swept his face.

"Why are you leaving? What happened? I saw you leaving the chicken farm…" he trailed off and knelt down beside me.

"Go away, Gray. You don't understand, I can't stay here!" I told him.

"You can overcome it, Skye, I know you can. You're a great person," he told me, standing up.

I stood as well. "Why are you so nice to me? Other people tell me you weren't like this before I came!"

Suddenly, he pulled me into a tight hug. "Stay, Skye. Please."

"What…?" I asked; the tears had stopped. I was confused, but slightly comforted. A small growl came from the voice.

His grip tightened on me. "I really…" he took a deep breath. "I really like you, Skye. Please don't leave," he whispered in my ear.

I gasped and blushed. The growling got louder and deeper.

"Do you like me, even a little?" he asked, his voice soft.

I hesitated. "I'm not sure…who I like yet…"

He lifted my chin and pressed his lips against mine. His lips were soft; it was nice.

"Will you stay?" he asked when we parted.

I was unsure of my feelings toward Gray. But I nodded my head, happy that he liked me so much. He smiled warmly, and kissed me again.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked.

Again, I hesitated. "…I'll try," I whispered finally.

I knew this was wrong. I knew he was in danger. But it felt so nice…

This was how it always happened.

He left a few minutes later. I gripped his shirt, so hard my knuckles were white. "Be safe, Gray. Please," I told him.

"I will," he said, smiling at me and kissing my hair lightly before walking away.

He roared in my ears. _'YOU WERE SO CLOSE! YOU COULD HAVE LEFT THEM TO BE A PEACEFUL TOWN! BUT NO, YOU HAD TO SUDDENLY START DATING THE BLACKSMITH! RAAAAGGGHHH!!! YOU IDIOT!' _

I winced and fell to my knees.

'_I hope you realize nothing good will come of this.' _his voice was a low, menacing snarl. _'He'll come out like all the others.'_

The tears started again.

"What have I done?" I whispered to myself.

--

**Ooooooooooooo.......oooooooo.....ooooo........ it's starting...but I don't think Gray's _the one.... _will _he _come to get Gray? Someone else? Who is _he _anyway? Who's the other guy in her picture? What's happening to her? How will her relationship with Gray turn out? What was her relationship with _him?_ Please review to find out! _And if you add the story to Favourites or Alert, PLEASE REVIEW WITH IT._**


	10. Fear and the First Date

**_Chapter 10-Fear and the First Date_**

**OMG, hi, I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR THE UBER LONG UPDATE TIMEE!!!! But I wrote the next chapter for ALL of my stories, so that they'd all be even, so it took like two months!!!! I HOPE YOU ENJOY THISSS!!!!!!! Please forgive me, and review!!**

I lay curled in a ball on my bed, wrapped thoroughly in blankets. I trembled underneath them, scared for my life, and Gray's, and for everyone else's. Maybe I could get them out of town before it was too late. Maybe I could start a fire (a little extreme, but…) and tell them to leave, that I'd take care of it. Maybe I could tell them they were all in danger and they had to leave. I snorted at the thought. _Yeah, right. These people have too much pride to leave if I told them that. They'd stay and defend Mineral Town. Pride, and…the goodness in their hearts. They would know something was going to happen to me. They would stay and fight back. _Not like they could fight him. Not like they wouldn't die in the instant they even thought about attacking him.

He was furious. It would be so hard for him to control himself around people… and him here might make me lose control, too.

I didn't know what to do. I was the helpless little nothing that was going to watch everyone she knew and loved die, right in front of her, because of her. I buried my face in deeper to my blanket wrap; it was rather frankfurterish.

I sank into a rugged, twitchy sleep, and woke up in a dream. I was hissing at him, my teeth bared; they were sharper than usual, and could pierce skin easily. My right eye was black with a red iris, and the left was the opposite. My nails were claws, and my skin was smoother, softer, and silkier than all of the Nivea, Clearisil, and Neutrogena commercials put together. My lips were soft and pink, and my hair was fluffy and also soft, as everything seemed to be. My chest was also, uh, significantly, er, larger. But there was a sharp, cold edge to everything about me as I stood there, spitting and hissing at him. His face was hidden in the shadows, and he was laughing his silky smooth laugh.

Them I noticed my surroundings, and took them in with horror. While my dream self had her eyes locked on him, I looked around to see the bodies of the whole of Mineral Town strewn around dream me. I noticed Popuri's pink hair; I looked closer at her to see her eyes wide with horror, white with death. Her mouth was open in the ghost of a scream as she lay unmoving on the ground.

Suddenly, dream me lunged at him, and he laughed even harder as he opened his arms to me.

I snapped out of my nightmare with a start, cold sweat that dewed at the back of my neck and tears streaming down my cheeks. I stared, unseeing, at the ground, my jaw practically disconnected. After a while, I got up and ghosted over to wash up and get dressed. Everything was blurry, and I was hardly paying attention to what I was doing. I pulled on what was right in front of me and brushed through my massive rats' nest without feeling the pain that would have had me writhing on the ground.

Then I slammed into the corner of my table, which hurts so much it…hurts a lot, and I fell over and writhed in pain. _Come on, _I cooed to myself. _Do as mommy told you to and think of ice cream and cookies and cute boys…make the pain go away…_

A memory swirled into my head, one that I cherished, as I did with most of the few that included my mother. I had fallen over and cut my leg, and a lot of blood was spilling out; I was wailing like I had been shot.

"_Shh, baby, shh, it'll be okay," my mom said, hugging me warmly as only a mother can. _

"_B-b-but it hurts, mommy!" I whimpered, fresh tears spilling over. _

_She smiled at me. "No it doesn't."_

"…_What?"_

_She giggled. "Think of the things you like. Cookies, ice cream, squirrels, video games…"_

_So I did. I thought of cookies crushed into ice cream, with a squirrel at my side, cheering me on as I played through my game. _

"_See?" Mom said when I had stopped wailing. "Think of things you love when it hurts, and think of Hanamori Hikari's protagonists in her mangas, how they never give up, and they always keep fighting, no matter what!" _

Then my eyes snapped open with a realization.

I needed to fight to keep going. I had to save the people of this town, and myself! I was _not _going to become the monster in my dream!

Just then, someone started knocking at my door. I flitted over to it and flung it open. "Hiya!" I screamed into their faces; I was rather upbeat in that moment. It was Ann and Popuri, looking puzzled.

Poppy shook it off first. "Ooo, I heard you were dating Gray. I didn't know you were into him!" she said, winking at me and giggling.

I blinked. "Oh yeah." To be honest, I had forgotten already. Most guys had already been dropped from a window by now, and it was over. "Er, I mean, yeah…it was k-kind of sudden, but he came over and said he liked me and…" I blushed remembering the moment.

"Do you think it's just a fling or are you guys serious?" Popuri asked, her eyes glistening with the delight of worthwhile gossip.

I hesitated. My relationships usually only lasted a span of 5 hours, thanks to him and his cronies. It was hard for him to let go, I guess. "I don't know," I said. In a lower voice, I added, "I just hope he doesn't die…"

"What was that?" Poppy asked. I sighed; she just went on with her questions. "Have you kissed? How far have you gotten? Is he a good kisser? Does he have a nice body? What about—"

"Poppy!" I groaned, frowning. "Honestly! It was _last night! _What could have _possibly _happened other than a kiss?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Duh, keyword _night._"

"You sicken me," I mumbled, shutting the door. Popuri slipped her foot there, and winced.

"Ouch…no wonder people stop the door when others do this, they don't wanna get charged with the medical bill…" she grumbled, rubbing her foot as Ann pushed the door further open and invited herself in with a smile.

"He's cute; good catch," Ann said, speaking for the first time.

I smiled at her, just as more knocking started up at the door again. I sighed, standing up to go answer the door. I opened it to Gray's smiling face; he handed me some flowers and kissed my cheek. I blushed and mumbled a 'thank you'. He slipped in and waved at the girls. They gasped.

"Gray! You must really like her! You're not grumpy!" Ann said, her jaw falling open.

"I can count how many times I've seen you smile on _one hand!_" Popuri exclaimed, her eyes widening while she held up one hand.

He stuck his tongue out at them, his brows creasing. I rolled my eyes at the girls, who giggled back. I was going to put my hand in his, but I realized it was wet. I looked down at it, and gasped. It was bleeding! "Gray! What happened to your hand!?"

He looked down at it. "Oh, yeah…it's weird, things have been happening to me all day. First, I slipped on basically _nothing _when I got out of bed this morning, then one of the forks came flying at me"— he pointed to a bandage on his right forearm— "and then a bunch of embers puffed at me, and who knows what happened with this…"

My face and my heart fell. I felt like crying. I didn't want to hurt Gray like this. I bit my lip and glared hard at nothing, knowing he would know whom it was for. The growl that erupted from my throat said 'how dare you.' His chuckle breezed past me.

"Skye? What's wrong?" Ann asked, frowning.

I snapped back into reality. "What? Oh, nothing…just trying to remember where I put the bandages, is all…" I told her, laughing shakily. I walked away, and tripped over a chair. I was about to break my nose on the floor when a shadow appeared on the floor—_his _shadow. He caught me gently and lightly pushed me back up. A light sweat dewed at the back of my neck, and a shiver crept down my spine at his touch.

When I was completely upright again, I whipped around to see if he was somewhere in my house. My lip trembled as I looked around vigorously, and found that he was nowhere to be found. I didn't know he could do that…

My three guests stared back at me, wide-eyed. "A-are you okay…?" Gray stammered.

I laughed shakily once again. "O-oh yeah, just stumbled a little, ahaha…ah yes, bandages!" I escaped to my little First Aid kit. I unrolled some gauze and wrapped it around Gray's left hand, despair hanging around me like a cloud. _I _was the cause for Gray's pain. How could I not be sad?

But the next week was worse.

--

We went on a couple dates, and they were fun and they all ended in kissing. Of course, with every kiss, Gray's pain was worse. He caught a cold from 'falling' into the lake, a bump and a headache from 'accidentally walking into a tree', and so much more.

I was having _so much fun! _(err, except for the whole pain thing…) It had never taken him this long to break me up from a guy!

And then it happened.

We were walking in the back, behind the farm. Holding hands, laughing, having fun, like a normal couple. We went by the lake and the mine place.

"That place creeps me out," I told him, cocking my head to the side. "Plus I've never been into the whole hit rocks to get shinier rocks thing…"

Gray laughed. "Or are you just scared?"

"Ha! Please! Me, scared? Never!"

"Oh yeah?" he asked, smirking. He stood up, pulling me with him. We walked over to the cave. "Let's go in!"

Not waiting for a reply, he went into the cave, dragging me along with him. I stepped on what must have been a loose rock, and I almost fell. "Eek!" I squeaked (Yay, rhyming!) and clung to Gray; he laughed.

"I told you you were scared!" he said, kissing my head.

Suddenly, the cave started to rumble. Gray clutched me tighter to his side. A few rocks fell around us.

"We have to get out!" Gray yelled, and started leading me along. The light was so close, yet so far away…

A big crash was followed quickly by another one, and Gray cussed. "_GO!"_ he urged, pushing me forwards and out the entrance. I heard him let out a grunt of pain after a third large crash.

"GRAY!" I shrieked, rummaging through my Roxy bag for a light. I finally found it, and flicked it on shakily. I ran over to the mine, and peered inside.

I gasped. Gray was caught under a huge rock, and his arm was _not _supposed to look like that!!

--

**I hope you liked it!! Again, sorry for the uber long update time!!! PLEASE REVIEW!!!**

**PS, CB, PM me soon!! **


	11. Rocky Situations

**_Chapter 11--Rocky Situations_**

**Hey, everyone. Thanks for waiting for this chapter, but my computer had a mental breakdown and I had to redo the chapter on the new computer. *Sigh* Hard work...anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! I think it's pretty juicy, myself...Let's see what happened to Gray after he was crushed by a rock!**

I panicked. "Oh my God!! Gray!!" I shrieked. "Are you okay!?"

He didn't move. I almost got irritated at him for not responding, then realized he was unconscious. I ran over to him and shook him like mad, shouting, "Gray!!" over and over again. The wind gently caressed my face, and his faint laughter tinkled like bells. I clenched my teeth angrily and stood. I spotted a rock on the ground amongst the rubble, and picked it up, looking at Gray. Then at the rock. Then I threw the rock at Gray. It hit him right in the forehead. I jumped. "Yeah! Score! Right in the forehead!"

"Yeah, sure, jump for joy! You idiot!" Gray shouted.

I stopped jumping. "Oh, Gray! Thank God you're alive!" I bent down on my knees again and lifted his head onto my lap. I saw him blush a little, but pretended not to notice. "How do you feel?"

"Peachy," he growled. "What do you think?"

"That your arm is broken," I muttered. "And you're stuck under a boulder. I'm sorry, Gray, I really am!!"

Gray's tone softened. "It's not your fault, Skye. Now, go get me some help, woman!"

A bittersweet smile crossed my lips. He didn't understand; it _was _my fault. Because I accepted him, _he_ got jealous and did bad things to Gray, leading up to this.

"I'm going to the Clinic to get Dr. Trent," I told Gray as I stood and brushed myself off. I folded up my sweater and put it under his head. "I'll be back! Don't go anywhere!"

"Oh, yeah, I'll just get up and have a little stroll down to Wal-Mart! Where am I gunna go!? I'm stuck under a _rock!!_"

I giggled a little, and waited until I knew Gray couldn't see me anymore. I froze up for a moment, deciding about whether or not to use my…_gifts _to help Gray. After a second of pondering I figured I'd use them to run to the Clinic…and maybe hear to make sure he's okay now.

I closed my eyes and let the wind carrying over from where Gray was whisper to me. Eheh, Gray talked to himself. "This sweater smells like her…" he said. A little bit of heat rose to my face. "What a beautiful scent…"

"Okay, he's fine," I mumbled to myself, cutting the connection off. I didn't want to hear anymore.

Now, the run. I started off at a regular pace, then started getting faster and faster until I was at a superhuman speed—but still not the full potential of what _they _could do. Plus, my weak human body couldn't handle it. My legs were aching, and by morning they would be a noodles' equivalent. My chest was on fire by the time I reached the Inn. Cliff saw me and bluntly cut Ann off. Oh dear. "Skye-! What are you doing!?"

I ignored him and kept running. I flew around the corner, and darted right up to the door of the Clinic. I would have bashed into the door if Trent hadn't been coming out himself. So, I bashed into him. We both went flying, crashing into the waiting room set-up. Elli screamed, but we all know she wishes that had been her.

Wow. This was strange. I'm on top of this guy, panting. He's taking the chance to hold me. But not the scenario you would think. I'm helping my boyfriend. Huh. Weird.

I gasped, coughed, and choked…in Trent's face. But, he was a doctor! Expect anything when you have that job.

"Skye! Are you allright!?" Trent asked.

"Fine…" I choked out. "Stupid."

He smiled a little. "Elli, bring some of the Energizer drinks. She's been running and her heart rate is up to an almost inhuman rate. She needs water, too. I'll bring her to the bed."

He started with sitting up, going for careful for my sake…or he just liked me that much. As soon as we were standing, he had his arm around my waist…comfortably. We walked slowly over to the first patient bed. He sat me down gently and took his time checking my pulse…and whatever else he was doing.

Soon I noticed I had blacked out. I had a flashback of when I was with him. _We were in the club where we had first met. He looked hot, as always. His perfect teeth shone brightly as we danced. He was so good of a dancer that he covered up my foolishly horrible mistakes. Then a slow song came on. I thought that was weird at a club. He put his arms around my waist, but not before taking my drink from my hand and putting it with his on the counter. Mmm. Alcohol. A crowd cleared for us, and when we were done, we immediately went back to our drinks. Drinking a lot leads to things you wish you didn't do—and say—later on. That I learned the hard way._

I stared at a black space. Then I heard someone calling 'Skye'. Not me. My nickname was only Skye. The Phantom Thief. Ah, memories. Then a new name; it was Trent, calling for me in a concerned voice. 'Naomi', he called. That wasn't my name either. I just used an alias to try and get away from him. Henh. Not like it mattered. I kinda figured, but I tried anyway. That's right. I've misled you the whole time. Mwahaha.

_SPLASH!_

"WAH!" I bolted upright on the bed, my heart racing and my legs aching. Plus I was soaking wet. Elli was holding a bucket, and it appears she had rather violently splashed me with ice cold water in an attempt to wake me up. But, it felt good. Running at super-speed could really work up a sweat.

"Now, Skye, why were you running here in such a rush?" Trent asked, resting his hand on mine. He motioned for Elli to bring a towel over for me. She obediently wobbled over and came back. He took it and dabbed at my face, but I snatched it away.

"I can do it myself," I muttered. "Oh! And I was here because Gray got caught under a rock and his arm is broken and--!"

"Shh, Skye," Trent said. Dear God.

"You think his arm's broken?" Elli asked.

"I _know _it's broken, thank you very much. Unless he has freaking bionic limbs that turn all the way around." I spat.

"Gray?" she asked. God, she's a ditz.

"No, freaking Green! _Yes,_ Gray! Now let's go!" I urged, jumping off the bed. Trent nodded at a worried Elli.

We all rushed back to where the mine had caved. Running at a normal human speed was tiring. How slow.

When we _finally _got there, Gray was still just lying there, not like he could do much else.

"Gray!! Are you still okay?" I asked, re-folding the sweater under his head.

"As good as you can get like this," he replied. "Thanks."

Trent came over and started asking him questions. I guessed it was an examination of him to see what happened, and how he was feeling. I bit my lip; this _was_ my fault, after all. And I felt terrible.

The wind blew, and whispered in his voice, _'Don't cry…it's his own fault…' _

Then I realized I was crying, and madly rubbed them away before anyone could notice. When they were gone, I glared at nothing. "I know you had something to do with this," I hissed in a whisper.

"Did you say something?" Elli asked. I glanced at her; her eyes said 'I hate you'. No probs. I hated her, too.

"No," I answered simply, smiling mockingly. She bared her teeth in a frown. Haha. Whatever her problem was, it was fun to make fun of this jealous nurse.

"Okay," Trent called over to us. "Gray has a broken arm, and will probably get a severe headache soon. He needs lots of rest, but first things first—get this boulder off of him!"

We all went to the boulder and pushed, me at regular strength since I was exhausted from before.

And it didn't budge. Not an inch.

"Uhhh…Elli, go get Gotz; he can probably move this, especially if we help him." I said to Elli. Eheh. She wouldn't say no, not in front of Doctor Dreamy.

"Sure!" she replied, forcing a smile. I held back a giggle.

We waited for a few minutes, and I could feel both guys' eyes on me. It was weird. _Hurry up, Elli!!_

An answer to my prayers, Elli came back not a moment too soon. "Gotz wasn't there," she told us warily. "A note was pinned to his door saying he had business in Forget-Me-Not Valley."

We all sighed at the same time. I looked at Gray; it was pitiful. He was stuck under a rock! Imagine how much pain he must have been covering up then… I sighed again. _I really have to do something…so…I'll do it. _I stood, determined. _I'll use my…powers to get the rock off of my boyfriend!!_

"Skye, what're you doing!?" Trent asked in disbelief. "You couldn't possibly move the boulder by yourself…!!"

I felt the rock before turning around and pressing my back against it. I braced it with my hands and planted my feet on the ground.

"Naomi, you're insane!" Elli gasped. "Stop it!" I snorted. _You want me to be crushed, don't you?_

I started to push. I closed my eyes and erased everything from my mind. I centered my power in my hands and back, and pushed on the boulder with all my strength.

'_Need some help?' _he asked.

"No," I grunted. Yes!

'_I don't like what you're doing, but I have no choice but to help you before you hurt yourself,' _he explained to me.

"Rrgh," I grunted. I didn't have anything else to say to that; in fact, I blushed.

Suddenly, a fair share of the weight was lifted from my shoulders. I looked to my right, and what could have been a shadow stood there, holding up the boulder with his left hand, the other on his hip. He smiled and winked at me; I blushed again, but frowned at him.

I refocused on the rock and pushed again; this time, it started with a little bit of rumbling, and after a minute, it rolled over. Elli and Trent pulled Gray away from the mine immediately, and I let go of the rock, stepping away from it.

I inhaled deeply, but gasped when I saw his outline just inches from me. _'You're welcome,'_ he whispered, coming closer until I could feel the heat from his lips on mine. It was more than an outline now. I closed my eyes and scrunched them, waiting, as my heart sped up.

After a few seconds, I opened my eyes. His outline was gone, and his lips had never reached mine. I raised my fingers to them, confused. I thought we were past that, we were done with that phase, and those feelings…his _and _mine…but now, I was more confused than ever.

I probably would've started crying or something, but Trent and Gray rushed over to me. "That was amazing!" the doctor cried.

"How did you move it by yourself?!" Gray asked, astonished.

_I didn't, _I wanted to say. _He helped me. _But I didn't. I was going to try and erase this whole thing with him from my memory. It was most likely bad for my health.

I just smiled sheepishly, and Elli saved me….ugh.

"We should get back to the Clinic," she said. "Gray's arm needs to be treated properly."

--

After the cast was set around Gray's arm and everything, he pretty much immediately fell asleep. I refused to leave his bedside; this was my fault, and so I would be there with him.

To tell you the truth, it was hard. My eyes were set on his peaceful, sleeping face most of the time. I'm not a pervert, I just felt…guilty.

I stayed there all night and most of the next day. At ten to five, the Clinic's closing time, Elli walked into Gray's, er, compartment, and cleared her throat. I looked up at her wearily.

She glared at me. "You have to leave now," she said, ice forming in her voice. "It's almost closing time."

I looked down again. "…I want to stay with Gray." I told her in a quiet voice.

She got even angrier. "You're lucky we even let you stay this long! The doctor's tired! Go home, you useless farmer!" she screamed at me.

Tears clouded my vision. "But, I can't--!"

"Shut up! This is _your _fault, Skye! It's _your _fault that Gray's lying there with a broken arm! If you hadn't come here and screwed up the entire flow of this town, this never would have happened! But, no! You had to come here and ruin everyone's lives! Why don't you just leave before you hurt anyone else!? Huh!?" she shrieked. When I didn't answer, she repeated, _"It's all your FAULT!"_

"I know! Okay, I know it's my fault!" I cried back, my voice cracking as the tears spilled over. "It's my fault, and I feel terrible! But I'm not going to leave! I'm going to wait here until Gray wakes up, and gives me that smile…" The tears dripped down onto my hands.

"He won't smile at you when he wakes up," Elli said in a constricted voice, after waiting a moment. "He'll tell you to get away. He'll repeat what I said back to you, so just leave now and save Gray's breath!"

"No!" I yelled back, followed by a sob.

"Ahhh!" Elli screamed, and picked up a thick, hardcover book. She threw her arm behind her and was about to whip it at my head when Karen grabbed the book. Elli threw nothing but air before whipping around to face the brunette. Her face contorted into fear; not of Karen, of what Karen would spread around about her. "Ka…!"

"What's wrong with you!?" Karen yelled. "Can't you see she feels bad enough without you screaming things that aren't even true at her face?!" She waved the book in Elli's face. "And then you were going to hurt her physically!? I thought you were a nurse! You _help _people!"

"What's going on here? Why are you all in Gray's room?" the doctor came in. Good timing. Sigh.

Karen ignored him. "You are a failure as a nurse. We all know why you hate on Skye so much, and don't even try to deny it." Karen slammed the book down on the desk. "You're just jealous of her because Dr. Trent likes her, a lot—a lot more than you, anyway," Karen spat, fire burning in her eyes.

"Hey!" Trent protested, going pink. "What exactly is happening!?"

"Doctor, no!" Elli cried.

"Doctor, yes!" Karen went on, mocking Elli's high voice. "You like him too much, but you're way too clingy and way too jealous for him!" Trent rubbed the back of his head, uncomfortable. "Hell, you'd be jealous of Grandma Ellen! But throwing a book at her? Telling to her to leave Mineral Town? That's just dirty and shameful. You're lucky I'm not making you get on your knees and _beg_ for forgiveness," Karen growled; I'd heard she had a bit of a yankee past, before she moved to Mineral Town. It was coming back out at that moment. "Now get out of my sight, you filthy creature."

Elli burst out crying and ran out of the room. I heard her fling the door open and rush outside.

Karen shooed the disturbed and confused doctor away. Then she walked over to me, dragged a chair over and embraced me unexpectedly. It was nice—I never thought I'd find a friend in Karen.

After sobbing a little into Karen's chest, I murmured, "Thank you."

"No problem," she told me, smiling as she gently pulled away. "Don't believe what Elli tells you; she'll never get what she wants." She motioned to Gray. "Even if it is somehow your fault, don't be too hard on yourself. Gray likes you. When he wakes up, he'll give you his, _I'm fine, don't worry about it _smiles_._ Now stop crying. And if you leave Mineral Town because of Elli, I'll hunt you down and we can throw her into the sea—together."

I laughed. "That's some comforting you do, Karen!" I told her, smiling for the first time in a while. "Thank you." I glanced wistfully at Gray. "But I don't think I can be with him anymore…I've caused him too much pain. Everything's my fault that's happened to him, even though no one else understands."

Karen hugged me again. "Whatever you want to do, I won't stop you. But don't hurt the poor guy too bad." She grabbed her coat and walked to the door. "Bye!"

I waved at her, touched that she showed me her soft side. Then I looked at Gray, and another stray tear rolled down my cheek when I saw that he was waking up. He noticed me, and smiled. "Hey, Skye," he said. "How long have I been asleep? How long have you been there? Why are you crying?"

"That's a lot of questions," I whispered, biting my lip. His face fell.

"What? What are you…?" he asked, fear striking his voice.

"I'm sorry, Gray," I said, almost inaudibly. "But everything's that's happened to hurt you has happened because you're seeing me, no matter how indirectly. I know it sounds crazy, but I wouldn't….I wouldn't be saying this if it wasn't true."

"No," he whispered.

"Yes," I said. "I'm so, so sorry Gray, but I can't be your girlfriend anymore." I tried to wipe away the tears, but they just wouldn't stop. "It'll only bring more disaster to you and everyone around you."

There was a silence. Then Gray broke it, sadness swimming heavily in his voice. "…Okay. I won't stop you, and I believe you."

I stood up and started to leave, but he grabbed my wrist with his good arm. "Skye, wait," he blurted out. "I'm sorry if I've caused you pain." I shook my head in protest.

"I've had so much fun, Gray."

"And I'm sorry if this causes you more pain, but it's the truth…" He tugged on my arm and I stumbled back onto the bed. Suddenly, he kissed me. "I love you, Skye. Nothing can change that. Even if I find someone else, you'll always be in my heart, even if the love changes shape. Remember that. And also that we'll always be friends, no matter what happens." He smiled. "Now you can go."

I cracked a small smile as I left. Gray was a really great guy. I was sorry to leave him, but I had to.

--

I really didn't feel like going home, so I went to the Inn. I sat down and ordered a beer. I chugged it quickly—really quickly. "I hate you," I muttered.

'_You know that's not true,' _he retorted in his calm, soothing voice. _'You should be glad; the date that I come see you approaches.'_

I growled, and ordered another drink, this one bigger and filled with vodka and…other stuff. "You went…too far…this time," I stuttered after taking a couple gulps of the drink.

'_I was only protecting you,'_ he told me. _'After all, it's what you asked me to do…'_

"Shut up!" I yelled, slamming the empty drink glass down on the table. Everyone stopped talking and looked at me. "That was a long time ago and I want you to stop! I can live my own life!"

_'But you'll be…like me soon, Ho-chan,'_ he told me.

"No!" I yelled. Then I realized that everyone was staring at me, and sat down, embarrassed. I cradled my empty glass as I went over how much my life sucked at this point.

A few minutes later, Ann came and sat down beside me. "Skye, you've had enough to drink. Go home now, hon," she told me gently.

I smiled and laughed without humour. "Something tells me this—drinking here every night—is going to become a habit." I stood up and handed over the money for my drinks. "Bye, Ann. Have a nice night, and…thanks."

She smiled at me. "Get home in one piece, now."

--

**Did you like it? I hope so! Please review, please! I kinda based Karen on Uotani from Fruits Basket in this chapter, I guess...next chapter, we'll be delving deeper into 'Ho-chan's' past...hohoho...**


	12. Katana

**_Chapter 12--Katana_**

**I just made this a short chapter since nobody really reads this fic^^" And the title for this chapter doesn't really have much to do with itXD Oh well! To the people who DO actually read this, enjoy, and thank you!!!**

"_I had a great time tonight," I told him. He smiled back at me, pulling me closer. _

"_So did I," he whispered in my ear. I blushed. I looked at him, feeling vulnerable. He leaned in gently, his lips coming closer and closer. _

"_Ho-chan," my brother's stern voice called me. Though we were in a crowded club, I could hear his voice perfectly. My brother hated him with all his life. _

"_Uhm…I have to go," I told him with dismay, pulling away from our almost-kiss. _

_By the time I paid for my drink and his, my brother had already left; I guessed he was starting the car. It was really dark when I got outside, and I could barely see anything. Sure enough, I bumped into something-er, someone-as soon as I got out. _

"_Ah," I said, bowing. "I'm very sorry." I kept on walking, but the guy I bumped into grabbed my arm._

"_Even through this darkness, I can tell that you're a cute one. Wanna have fun?" the guy asked. I could just _hear _the drool coming out of his mouth. _

"_Yes, I do," I told him, pulling my arm away. "So if you would go away, then I could have fun."_

_The guy growled. He jumped onto me, and this was when I realized that there were three other guys with him. _Oh, crap.

"_Get off of her!" _

"_What the--" _

_There was a flash of light, and the guys were on the ground._

"_Waah!" I exclaimed softly. _

"_Don't worry," he told me, throwing me over onto his back. "They're not dead. (I think)"_

"_Where are you taking me?" I asked, though I didn't really care. I was with him. _

"_My apartment," he responded. _

_We were there in a flash. "Wow," I said, blinking in surprise. "That was…quick."_

_He smiled. "That's just one of the many powers…_my kind _have."_

_I ignored that comment, looking down at my shirt. "Aww. My shirt's all ripped up…!"_

"_Don't worry," he said. "You can borrow one of mine."_

_He threw me one of his button-up shirts. It smelled just like him…I put it on carefully, not wanting to wrinkle it even a little bit. _

"_Were you scared then?" I gasped when his velvet voice was suddenly in my ear. He wrapped his arms around me. _

"…_Yes." I answered shakily, my heart speeding up._

"…_Would you be scared if…?" _

_I understood what he was trying to say._

_I gulped before answering. "…No." I breathed, turning around to hug him. He held my chin and brought it up to his face. We finally got our kiss. _

_And how wonderful it was._

_--_

"Boo!" Kai came up behind me as I was watering my plants. My hand jolted a little.

I sighed. "Hey, Kai."

"So…I heard you broke up with Gray," he said, sitting down beside the field.

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" I sighed again.

He poked me. "Stop sighing. You'll hurt your lungs' feelings." He smiled in a sad way. "You broke up with him, but you seem really sad. Why did you do it?"

"Because I had to. If I didn't, he would've kept on getting hurt," I explained.

"Uh…I'm not sure I want to hear all this. Or that you actually want to tell me," Kai said, winking.

I sighed once again. He hit me lightly. "Stop it!"

I didn't say anything else; I just kept on watering my plants.

After a while, he said, "Jealous ex?"

I blinked and almost dropped the can. "Uh…something like that."

He smiled. "I know the feeling. Since I'm such a catch, girls come running to me. But this always leads to problems with the girl's ex. They come after me and beat me up, most of the time. They usually end up breaking it off because of that. I guess that's what you did."

I gave Kai a grateful smile. "Finally, someone who understands. I never really thought to put it that way. Thank you."

He smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. "No problem. So tell me; why exactly do you not just call the cops on this guy if he's always beating your beaus down?"

I laughed darkly. "If only it were that easy."

He blinked, then laughed. "You know, you're kinda creepy."

I blushed. "Sh-shut up."

"Aww," he teased. "Did I hurt your feelings? It's okay! You're cute, that makes up for it!"

I laughed. I guess I'd never realized that Kai was such a nice guy. In his own weird way, he was comforting me.

--

I invited Kai in for lunch. We were having so much fun!

"You make a mean onigiri, Skye!" he exclaimed with a mouthful.

I giggled. "Dude, wait until you've swallowed before you talk!"

"Bleehhh," he said, sticking his tongue out.

"Ew, gross!" I looked away, laughing.

"Ah!" Kai burst out suddenly. "It's almost time! My break's almost over! Sorry to leave so suddenly, but I have to. The shack's gonna be opening again soon." He stood up and slipped his shoes on. I saw him out.

He bowed. "Thank you for the food, Skye! It was really good! Bye!"

I smiled and waved as he ran off.

_Thank you, Kai._

--

_Crash! _

I woke up suddenly. I grabbed the katana I kept beside my bed and unsheathed it. (Yes, _he _gave it to me.)

"Who's there?" I said, walking to the source of the noise.

I gasped. He turned around and smiled. "Long time no _see, _Ho-chan," he said, stalking up to me and running his fingers up the blade. "I see you kept my katana."

--

**Thank you for reading! And reviewing! (Yes, that IS a threat! :P) I hope you'll continue reading! (And tell your friends! XDXD)**


	13. The Phantom Thief

**_Chapter 13--The Phantom Thief_**

**Graaahhh....I'm sorry... it's been a long time since I updated this story...but it's just cause the other ones get more reviews, y'know? But I like writing chapters for this story. They feel different than writing for my other fics...I know, I'm weird. XD Please enjoy this chapter! **

I froze as he smiled at me, mesmerizing me. He stroked my hair.

"It's so good to see you again, and to be talking to you in person…" he cooed soothingly. "You've missed me, right?"

I noticed I was trembling. It was a mix of complete fear and total happiness, with a pinch of rage. Strands of blonde hair fell from his hand and lightly bumped my face. I stared at him, and he put his arms around my waist, pulling me closer. "Right, Ho-chan?" he whispered into my ear.

Finally, I snapped out of my trance and pushed him away. Of course, he didn't go very far. I held my katana up in front of me, ready to strike. "S-stay away from me, you liar!"

"Ho-chan, how am I liar?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, cut the crap! Because you lied to me!" I shouted back.

"Well, that does kind of define _liar_."

I swung the sword, as if in warning. "Shut up! I'm not joking around with you!" My grip on the katana strengthened, and my knuckles went white. "Do you…do you know how much you hurt me?" I cursed myself inwardly when I heard my voice trembling.

His smile faded a little. "I didn't…Hoz--"

I pointed the sword at his face. "Shut up!" I said again. "I hate you! Don't say it--don't say my name! My name is Naomi now!" A tear slid down my face. "But you can call me Skye!"

Oh, great. A total breakdown in front of the guy I hate most. I was remembering all the times I had introduced myself with that lie.

"If you hate me so much," he said, walking towards me slowly. "then why do you use my name?"

"Because!" I cried, dropping the katana. "Because I can't forget you! You were _everything _to me, and then I found out you were lying to me the whole time! You just wanted to recruit me, and rebel against going with my brother!"

His eye twitched, and he paused before moving towards me again. He held his arms out to me as I sobbed, and they encircled me.

"I hate you!" I cried, pounding his chest with my fists. I ended gripping his shirt and burying my face in his chest as I wept.

"Shh," he murmured, petting the back of my head.

Soon after, the tears stopped and I pushed him away harshly. "So, you've comforted me now," I hissed. "I'm still not going to transform."

"But you have the powers of a tenkai!" he urged. "Not a lion!"

My eyes widened. "So that is why you came," I said calmly, my voice dripping with acid. I slapped him, hard. "Get out of my house!" I said, holding my hand out to the katana. It came to my hand like a magnet. I pointed to the door with it.

I saw sweat glisten on his forehead, and he held his hands up. "C-careful with that, Ho-chan…"

I smiled coldly. "This katana can cut through even the hardest of steels. A normal katana wouldn't be able to wound you. But this one can." I touch the blade, and blood instantly trickled down my fingers. "When you touched it lightly, you were fine, with your hard skin…but who knows what could happen if I swung it at you with strength? You gave this sword to me yourself…are you thinking it was a mistake now? Now that you've tricked me, and given me one of the few things that can destroy a tenkai?"

He gulped. "Think this through, Hoz--"

I cut him off with a sharp, piercing glare. "It hurts if I throw daggers with my eyes," I said, starting to sound like a crazy person. "But it will hurt even more I throw this sword _into _your eyes."

I heard footsteps outside the door. "Skye!" Kai and Cliff burst through the door, panting.

"Are you okay?!" Cliff asked.

"Is that Skye, The Phantom Thief?!" Kai exclaimed, his eyes widening.

He smiled at them, regaining his cool composure. "Yes, it is," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you both." There was steel in his voice.

"What are you doing here?" Kai asked, giving him a cold look.

"Maybe stealing something, hence the name 'thief'?" Cliff muttered, looking at me. His eyes widened when he saw me, and he rushed over to me. "Skye! You've been crying! What's wrong?"

"No!" I told him. "Stay back! Skye will hurt you!" Saying his name--as in, saying _his _name, not my painful nickname--burned my throat. I've been referring to Skye as 'him', in hope of never having to utter that name again, or even hoping (in vain, of course) to never refer to him at all ever again.

As I predicted, Skye growled and flicked his hand. Two huge hardcover books flew out from my bookshelf, headed straight at Cliff's head. I cried out, and Cliff turned to the books.

I expected him to get knocked out by the oncoming evil books. But instead, he hit one away with his fist, and the other he kicked away, sending them to the floor with loud thuds.

"Wow! That was really cool!" I gasped.

He walked up to me, checking to see if I was hurt. "Why were you crying?" he asked gently.

I blinked. "You're not gonna ask why you were just attacked by flying books?"

"You're more important than that," he told me, blushing.

I blushed, too. "Uhh…no, I'm not hurt…and, I was crying because of the vermin that entered my house a little while ago," I explained, glaring icily at Skye, who was trying to decide who to glare at; Cliff or Kai.

While he was confused, I gathered myself and charged at him with the katana. I was just about to stab him when two hands caught my blade, wearing very familiar gloves.

"Kurt!" I gasped.

He smiled. "Long time no see, Hozumi."

I flinched when he said my name. Cliff and Kai were looking at each other, confused.

"Don't call me that, please, big brother," I whispered to him, not meeting his eyes.

He stuck his tongue out at me. "I'll call you whatever I want to, Hozumi." He straightened out, and took my moment of weakness to get the blade out of my hands. He deliberately put it over his shoulder so that if Skye moved he would be decapitated. "And I'll _you _whatever I want, as well," he added coldly.

Skye glared at my brother. "You're in a position where I could kill you, also. And much faster than you could swing that cursed blade."

"You tricked my little sister," Kurt said, looking away from him. "Anyone who does that will feel pain of high measures." He grinned and showed his fangs, then flexed his hand. "With my fangs, or claws…"

"Insolent beast. I could throw you a ball of yarn and that alone would distract you," Skye said smoothly. There was anger in his voice, but he was calm, as always.

"Even Satan hates your kind," Kurt countered, and I know that was a serious blow to the tenkai.

"Guys," I said, interrupting them. "Just so you know, two of the village boys are here, and they are rather confused."

"I'll just erase their memories," Skye said. "_My kind _can do that."

"No! I know you'll erase every memory they have of me, too, if not all of it! What I'm saying is, just give up and explain it to them."

"I'm a lion. I can transform into a super powerful lion because of my ancestors, who were lions. It's in my blood. 'Nuff said," Kurt said.

"Uhh…that was kind of quick…but I got it, I guess…" Kai said.

"And _I," _Skye said dramatically. "I am a tenkai. Tenkai are half-demon, half-angel with amazing powers such as super speed, super strength, and immortality unless we are killed, plus super hard bodies. And we're beautiful. See? I'm clearly better."

Kai and Cliff stared at them, their mouths hanging open.

Kurt yawned, and the sword moved a bit and cut into Skye's shoulder. He yelped in pain before grabbing Kurt from behind and throwing him out the door.

"You idiot!" Skye growled, his pupils turning to slits and his teeth growing to fangs. He took off his shirt, and two lumps were forming on his back. Then, from one side, a black, torn, battish wing sprouted, while the other sprouted a white, fluffy angel wing. A white and black candy-cane style tail popped out from low down his back.

I heard a roar from outside, and I knew Kurt had transformed as well. They launched themselves at each other, and I knew any moment the entire town would be rushing down to my farm to see what was going on.

And I knew that Skye would take them all hostage, and force me to become a full tenkai.

I rushed out the door, followed closely behind by Cliff and Kai. "Stop it! Stop, you guys, I mean it!" I looked behind me. "Are you guys okay? I'm sorry to have dragged you into this whole mess…" I trailed off when I saw the look on Kai's face. He looked like he pondering the situation thoroughly, processing every little detail. Suddenly, he embraced me in full view of Skye. "Hey--what're you doing?!"

Skye knew what he was doing, and turned around. He blasted Kai off me, straight into the wall of the barn. I gasped. "No! Kai!!" I cried.

Kai smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. Then I realized what he had intended to do, and his plan had worked perfectly. He wanted to distract Skye so Kurt could get a good blow in on him…!

I whipped around, and Kurt had Skye pinned to the ground. He was growling, and it rumbled around the whole farm. He snapped his gigantic fangs threateningly.

I thought Kurt had won for a minute, but I saw Skye's hand moving. I also heard the villagers approaching up the lane. He waited until they were just a few feet from the farm when he scraped the match against the ground, and it erupted into flames. I assumed he had pumped a bunch of power into the match so that it would light that way.

"Crraappp…" I muttered, utterly confused. Shoo away the villagers? Help Kai? Stop the fire? Get Cliff away so he didn't get thrown into the barn as well?

Gahh!!

--

**Oh dear...what should she do? :D Review to find out, evil minions!! Or Skye's talking pillow will come for you!**


	14. Shojo Characters

**_Chapter 14--Shojo Characters_**

**I AM SO SORRY! I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN TWO MONTHS!! AND I DON'T EVEN HAVE AN EXCUSE!! I was only in the hospital for a week out the two and a half months I haven't updated! (If you care, I had to have my appendix removed. It didn't burst, but it was scarred and chronically enflamed. But don't worry. I'm having a good recovery. :) ) It's just that it took forever to piece this chapter together! And then it's not even that long! T-T I'm truly sorry. **

I whipped my head around, trying to decide before everybody lost. On a whim, I chose to try and stop the fire. I charged toward my brother and the tenkai. I raised my hand and some water from the river flowing beside the farm rose at my command. I threw it at the fire, and it died a little bit, but Skye kept it going.

I cursed under my breath, and leapt at the battling pair. Kurt still had Skye pinned down, and they were right at the centre of the growing flames.

I stepped on Skye's hand with all of my force, but he only winced in pain. If he had been human, his hand would have been severed.

I glared at him. "Put out the fire."

He shook his head.

"Put it out _now,_" I growled.

"I'm doing it for you," he whispered.

"Doing what?!" I shrieked. "Destroying the life I've created to try and get away from you?! You're doing it for me?! Gee, thank you so much! I really appreciate it!"

Skye clenched his teeth. "I'm also doing it for your parents."

That stabbed me. I looked away from him.

"You don't know anything about them," I muttered.

"They _asked me personally _to ensure that you became a tenkai," he said slowly. "Do you want to put them through the same pain your mongrel brother here put them through?"

Kurt growled, his tail flicking in rage. Our parents were never a good subject for either of us.

Our parents are both full tenkai. Kurt and I both inherited their traits, and as babies we should have been converted right away, but mom and dad wanted us to be normal for a while, since they were living among humans and didn't want their children to be blowing holes in the walls and causing the neighbours to call the police. (But we were still abnormal children anyway.) By the time I was born, they still hadn't gotten around to converting Kurt, so they decided to do it when I turned sixteen, when we would both fully understand how to act normal. But when Kurt turned fifteen, he had met a group of other people that weren't human. He had never liked the idea of being a tenkai, and so he went ahead and turned himself into a lion.

Mom and dad were devastated; dad hit the roof and mom cried for days.

And then they found out I wanted nothing to do with being a tenkai.

They tried to convince me it was better for me, blah blah blah. But I had made up my mind. After living like I am forever, I was already weird enough. I was super fast but super clumsy. Ultra strong but frightened easily, yet I was never injured. A loser that was good in gym class, basically. They told me I'd be even more beautiful and such if I switched over, but I just didn't want to.

But soon after, I met Skye. He had me on the brink of converting.

But then I found out he had been ruining all of my dates, and my reputation at school, and who knows what else that could make me miserable. As if to say, _'your life sucks. Change into a tenkai.' _

I moved out when I was seventeen. I got phone calls from my parents all the time, but got used to letting it ring. And I didn't even tell them I had moved out here.

"Just…stop the fire," I hissed, trying to recover.

"If you convert, right here, right now, I will stop the fire and none of your friends will be harmed in anyway," Skye said calmly.

"That's not fair. You know I won't…"

He smiled. "It can be an easy choice, or a hard one. Let your new found friends die or become superhuman. You'd have to be retarded to not see the clear choice."

I clenched my fists. "You don't understand…!"

"What don't I understand, Hozumi?" he asked in that silky smooth voice.

Before I knew it, I was tearing up. I tried to rub them away, but it was useless. "You know I love…shojo manga…"

He looked at me like I was a toaster. Yes. A toaster.

"What the hell?" he said. "I mean, yes…"

"I was always admiring the heroines…they could make a guy fall in love with him no matter what their personality…" I continued, feeling like an idiot. "By being themselves."

"Why are you bringing fictional characters into this?" Skye sounded confused.

I gave him a cold look. "Stop the fire, and I'll keep going."

He clenched his teeth. He glanced at the match, and flicked his wrist. The flames dispersed into a little ball, lingering close by.

"I wanted to be like those girls. Just do whatever and make guys love me. But I couldn't. I was just…too weird."

"Then becoming a tenkai--"

"Shut up! I'm not done," I interrupted his interruption. "I wanted to be myself! Not some fake demon thing! I don't want the looks that come from being something I don't want to be, and the powers that shouldn't be mine, to get a boyfriend!"

Skye shoved Kurt off; Kurt growled, but stepped back, allowing him to stand. But he was ready to leap at Skye at any time.

Skye brushed himself off, laughing. I braced myself for whatever he was about to do.

"You think people wouldn't love you for you? Your personality?" he asked.

I frowned. Not really expecting a question. "That's…right."

"You're so stupid," he muttered.

"Hey! Shut up!" I retorted.

Suddenly, he stepped forward and embraced me. I gasped. "What are you--?!"

"You think people don't love you?" he whispered. "Have you looked around? Do you know how many guys have fallen for you? By you being you?"

I couldn't respond--even if I could, I don't know what I would have said--because Skye kissed me.

Caught off guard, I tried to step away, but he just pushed me back against the tree and continued kissing me.

His lips were so familiar. They fit mine so perfectly. His scent was so enticing, his skin so flawless, his taste delectable. I loved it, but I hated it. So much.

Finally putting my foot down, I bit his lip. He winced and stopped for a second, but quickly recovered and tried again.

For some reason, that was when I remembered the villagers were all watching closely. They were really confused, I could tell. Why does she have a lion on her farm? What the hell happened to that fire? Why is a beautiful guy kissing her? And why the hell is she resisting?

"Get off of her this instant, Skye."

He froze at the voice; it was clear, powerful, and beautiful.

He took his lips away from mine, and we both looked to the sky. Two alluring figures with the same wings as Skye landed on the grass gracefully.

My throat was dry. "Mother…father…" The back of Kurt's throat rumbled, and he shifted uncomfortably.

My mother smiled at me bitter sweetly. "Hello, my precious children."

--

**I HOPE YOU LIKED IT!! I'M SORRY AGAIN!!!! Please review...and please tell me which boy you want to be with Hozumi/Skye/Naomi, or I'll pick for you!!!! **


	15. Choice

**_Chapter 15 --Choice _**

**Uwaaah…I haven't updated since like September. I'm sorry I neglect this fic. I really am. But after some encouragement from Miss Rouge Apple, I finally got around to sitting down and planning out this chapter. :) And in another three months, we'll do it again. XD I hope you'll like this chapter, anyhow…I know this story is going in a really strange direction…**

Everyone stared in shock as we all watched my parents land gracefully on the ground. Skye leapt to the grass, bowing his head. My eyebrows knit; they weren't **that **important, Skye.

"Skye, you should be ashamed of yourself for attacking our daughter like that," my mother scolded.

"My apologies, your honour," Skye said back.

Mother looked up at Kurt, then me. Her eyes teared up, and she smiled.

"It's nice to see you again, Hozumi, Kurt," she told us. She was wearing a summery white dress that fell to her knees, and her beautiful blonde hair fell in perfect ringlets down her back and around her flawless, porcelain face. I glanced at my father; his skin, also flawless, was tanned. His red hair was wavy, and he stood tall and straight in his button up shirt and semi-dressy pants.

Mother started towards me, her arms outstretched, ready for an embrace. Kurt retained his human form and jumped in front of me, holding his arms out protectively.

"You two are dead to us," he growled, glowering at her with cold eyes.

Mother studied him sadly. "You've grown up to be such a fine young man, Kurt…but why do you hate us so? You even used to encourage your sister to become a tenkai…"

"Shut up!" Kurt barked harshly.

"Hey now," Father warned, holding up his hands.

"When I was younger, I saw you guys…in…in such a horrible state! The **real **state of a tenkai!" he yelled. "You were both howling, your skin had turned grey, your faces were sallow, your teeth were yellow, and huge, like fangs…everything about you was ugly! And then you muttered to each other, and got into a fight! You were screaming like banshees and tearing each other apart!" Kurt looked hurt from recalling the memory; his body was shaking. "I was so thankful…that I had already taken in the Lion's Spirit…and not turned into one of **you**," he hissed. "And I couldn't let that happen to Hozumi. But then Skye the Freakin' Phantom Thief came along and almost got her to do it!"

"Luckily he's a monster and I decided against it," I muttered darkly.

"Well…we're half angel, half demon. Ten – kai. Most of the time we look like angels…"

"So sometimes we have to be demons," my father finished for my mother. "We don't have a choice."

"But after that, you two were never the same," Kurt accused, shaking his head.

"We almost ripped our wings off at one point. The pain of the demon was just too much. It was getting worse because we hadn't converted you two," Father explained. "That's probably when we…changed, of sorts."

"I don't care," Kurt growled. "Leave."

Mother looked over his shoulder at me. "Hozumi…please…won't you convert…for us?" she pleaded, tears rolling down her perfect face.

I clenched my teeth. "I won't. I won't become like you. I won't become a monster claiming to be an angel, lying to everyone! I would rather die!" I shouted, my voice raising with every word. And then I remembered that Mother and Father always did have short tempers.

A shadow cast over Mother's face as she narrowed her eyes. She held her hand up, pointing to the villagers packed nervously at the entrance to the farm. "I suppose you want them to die, then?"

I narrowed my own eyes. "You wouldn't."

"No. Not if you let me convert you," she said threateningly.

"No…I won't…" I clasped my fists so hard my arms were shaking.

The darkness sparked at the tip of her fingers, hissing hungrily. "Say bye-bye to Mineral Town, then, sweetheart…"

I squeezed my eyes shut, breaking into a sweat. I heard the hissing darkness get louder, and I knew she was really going to do it. It was reaching its climax. Mineral Town was going to be destroyed in less than a second.

"Fine!" I bellowed suddenly. Mother grinned and shut her hand, the darkness disappearing instantly. Kurt gasped and turned to look at me in disbelief.

"Hozumi!" he hissed.

"I know, Kurt! I know! I don't want to," I squeaked, tears blurring my vision. "But I can't just let all my friends die…except Elli," I added as an afterthought. I giggled as I thought of Karen standing up for me in front of her, and me making her feel like a fool. I raised a finger to wipe away the tears. I wasn't about to let all that get obliterated into nothingness.

My mother approached, her face light and happy again. "I'm so glad that you chose this path, Hozumi," she whispered.

I glared at her, my lip trembling. "You didn't give me a choice. You didn't play fair, you witch."

She ignored the last comment and bit her index finger. Blood trickled down her hand as she touched it to my heart. She drew something with the blood, and then she stood up and backed away.

My heart started pumping faster, faster than it should have been. It was painful. I crumpled to the ground, screaming out in pain as I clutched my chest. I could feel all the blood being pushed through all of my veins, like acid burning inside of them.

Then I began to feel a searing pain in my back, near my shoulder blades. I shrieked louder as the skin ripped and two wings slowly erected. The one on my right opened; it was skeletal with transparent material surrounding it. Then the next, on my left. It opened into a fluffy white wing with soft feathers flying everywhere. Together, they enveloped me, bringing me into darkness.

My skin seemed to harden and cling to my body tightly. But then it seemed to melt off of my body completely. I screamed in agony; my whole body was shrieking out in pain.

After a few more moments of blinding pain, my wings flapped out, bringing me back into the light, and I collapsed on the ground.

A few more minutes of crying and shaking and moaning, and I tried to sit up. Mother and Father came over to me, smiling with tears in their eyes. I looked at my hand. My fingers, long and slim. I touched the perfect hand to my face, and ran the perfect fingers down my cheek. Smooth and unblemished. I stroked my hair, soft and shining. I held my hand over my eyes to keep the sunlight out of them. Even my vision was better.

I swallowed hard. I looked at all the people around me. Skye, smiling maniacally. Kurt, staring at the ground with a shocked expression. The villagers, trying to comprehend what was happening before their eyes. They were probably terrified. At least they were safe. At least I had saved them from being obliterated by my mother.

Then I looked over at Kai and Cliff. Their eyes were wide, their mouths hanging open.

Gently, I placed my newly found face into my newly found hands and let the tears fall over my eyelids.

Within minutes, I had become what I had been avoiding for so long. I had become perfect, in a sense. But faulty in every way.

An angel.

A devil.

A tenkai.

--

**Dun dun duhhh!!! She became a tenkai! :O What will she do now?! Who will she pick?! Kai? Cliff? Skye? Maybe in a couple more months I'll figure it out. Myeheheh. XD (Kidding…) But review, please. X) And thanks to everyone that has been reviewing. (Chellybaby and Miss Rouge Apple. XD)**

**Evey, I'll PM you soon! Don't worry! XD **

**And you too Chellybaby. :D Myahaha randomness!**


	16. The Harvest Goddess Has An Army

**_Chapter 16 -- The Harvest Goddess Has An Army_**

**So here's the next chaptah! It's quite big, isn't it? ****:) Yay. Thanks to Miss Rouge Apple for randomly inspiring while I wrote her a PM. (Although I kind of lied to her when I said there'd be love in this chapter…it'll be in the next one. :P I didn't know this one would turn out the way it did XD Whoops!)**

**You know what I noticed? I re-read this story, and it's really all over the place. Someone will say one thing here, and another thing there…XD And I missed a lot of words. O.O And my writing quality seemed bad for this one, too…my other fics are a lot better that way…although I guess I got better for the last chapter? :D I unno. Please review, and check out my other fics! (They're mostly AU, you don't even have to know the original story ;D That's right. I'm trying to get you to read my other stories ^^)**

**Enjoy! :D**

I didn't know what to do. So I did what was easiest. I ran away.

I dashed to the end of the farm, to the little 'forest' at the back. I went up to the springs and collapsed, sobbing.

I hated it. I hated the feeling of being a monster. I may have been beautiful now. I may have been super strong now. I may have been perfect now.

But it wasn't worth it. I wanted to be my own me. I wanted to be normal. Was that too much to ask? To be myself, to be human? It must have been, if this was the outcome.

What would Mineral Town think? I hiccuped through my tears, thinking of how afraid they would be. Actually, Skye and my parents had probably already erased their memories.

They would no longer remember this incident. They wouldn't remember the weird new – well, not so new, being as it's been two months or so – owner of Diamond Farm, sucked in by a bogus ad. They wouldn't remember her awkwardly introducing herself to everyone, 'I'm Naomi, but please call me Skye.' They wouldn't remember her clumsiness. They wouldn't remember her slowly becoming friends with everyone. Except Elli. They wouldn't remember the cooking contest that she won by a landslide. They wouldn't remember her slowly becoming a part of their town, and finally feeling like she belonged in the quirky little community.

They wouldn't remember her at all.

I shook my head, hiccuping again. _Stop…stop talking in third-person, Hozumi, _I thought to myself, shakily attempting to sit upright. The tears now flowed silently down my face as I hugged my knees to my chest, staring at the ground but not really seeing.

The wind blew my luscious locks, and a leaf flew onto the lake. I glanced at the water rippling at its touch. Then I let my eyes drop back to the ground.

There was a splash, and I looked back at the water, alert. I blinked at the familiar woman. I opened my mouth to speak, my voice sounding very different than it had in our last meeting.

"Harvest Goddess…" I whispered lightly, looking up at the radiant figure. (Though I still couldn't get over her purple hair)

Her eyes were sad, and she knelt on the air. Had it not been a depressing moment, I would have been so amazed by that.

She reached out and caressed my cheek. "I knew I felt some evil in you…" she cooed. She took her hand away, not wanting to touch my evilness anymore.

I frowned, wiping tears away. "I appreciate your kind words of concern," I muttered, my voice cracking. "They really help a lot."

She smiled bitter-sweetly. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you, young one…"

I nodded, my lip trembling with the threat of new tears. "But why? I tried so hard to avoid it…it isn't fair," I told her.

"Nothing in life is fair, young one," she said.

I wanted to tell her that saying was over-used. But instead, I screwed my face up and let the tears spill over again. The Goddess hesitated, but then embraced me. She was warm…so warm…

"Hozumi!"

I looked over, baring my fangs. "What, Skye? You can leave me alone now. You don't have to have anything to do with me anymore. Your job is done," I snapped. "So go."

I couldn't stop the tears! It was so frustrating. I was trying to stand up to this guy, and I just had to be having a nervous breakdown.

Skye walked over to me cautiously, his arms outstretched. I looked towards the lake; the Harvest Goddess had disappeared. I stood up, clenching my fists. He was right in front of me now; I could smell him. His scent was still so inviting…but now I smelled just like him. We were equals now.

I remembered all the things he told me about tenkai. He had led me to believe it was a great life. I had trusted him with my heart and soul…but he ended up betraying me.

And neither of us ever got over it.

Slowly, gently, he pulled me into his arms. I stiffened, my brows creased.

His voice whispered into my ear. "I'm still in love with you, Hozumi…" I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. I didn't say anything, only continued crying silently. He kissed me, his lips soft and smooth. His grip on me tightened.

I found that I didn't fight back. I had given in already; why not cave now, too? I kissed him back.

"Ahem."

Skye tore away from me instantly at the sound of my mother's voice, dropping to the grass once again in a bow. Gutless little…as Mother started towards me, a low rumbling erupted from my throat. Mother ignored it and outstretched her arms, ready to give me a hug. I stepped back, and there was a splashing sound; the Harvest Goddess was back.

"Harvest Goddess…" I said, wondering what she was doing.

She was frowning upon my mother and father, as well as the Phantom Thief. "You creatures are not allowed on this land. This is _sacred _land." That stabbed me; that meant I wasn't allowed either? "Leave this instant."

Mother glared at the Goddess. "Fear not, insolent witch. I am here to fetch my daughter; I would otherwise never think of coming to this awful place."

Awful? How could she call this place awful? More like it was beautiful.

The Harvest Goddess smiled, narrowing her purple eyes. "Is the flowery scent too much for you? The feeling of peace and serenity?" She raised her arms and a gust of wind rustled the leaves.

A drop of sweat rolled down Mother's cheek, and she clenched her teeth. Father raised his hand to cover his nose, as if we were in a garbage dump or something. Skye stood up, his eyes wide in horror.

"That's not fair," Mother hissed, showing her fangs. "You're just heightening your pathetic spiritual powers to piss us off!"

The Goddess laughed. "I know!"

I let out a laugh as well; it just sort of came out. Everyone's attention turned to me.

"Why isn't Hozumi affected by it?" Father asked. I blinked; he was right – _I _didn't smell anything or whatever…

The Harvest Goddess smiled mischievously.

"Skye!"

I know that voice…

"Kai!" I called out. Kurt was right beside him, and I saw Cliff coming up behind Kai, along with Ann, Karen, Popuri and Gray, who must've just gotten there. He was still in a cast. "St-stay back! Don't come any closer!"

They all slowed down, not sure what to do. They all look scared, too, as they stared at me. I looked away from them, to the ground. My life here was officially over, too. Tears blurred my vision. I'd have to go with Mother and Father, and start life over in some new place…

I stood up, trembling. I could feel my parent's eyes on me, as well as the Harvest Goddess's. Without a word, I dashed past everyone, wanting to be alone while I drowned in a pool of despair.

As I raced past my human friends, I took in every one of their faces. Eyes wide, mouths open, pupils small and terrified. Glued to the spot. _Even if I could stay, _I thought as I ran, _they'd never look at me the same. _

I was pulled out of my thoughts when I came to an abrupt stop. I looked back to see Kai gripping my arm tautly, his eyes determined. My own eyes widened. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked me. "The party's over here." He jerked his head towards my friends. One by one, they all smiled and nodded.

"I…I can't stay," I choked, pulling my arm away. "I'm just a…freak."

Kai suddenly pulled me into a hug. "You're not a freak," he whispered into my ear. I blushed, feeling his breath on my neck and having his strong arms holding me so surely. He smelled like cologne; at that moment, I liked it so much more than how Skye ever smelled. Slowly, my arms wrapped around his back.

"Are you sure I'm allowed to stay here?" I asked softly, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"I love you," he said, almost inaudibly.

I flushed harder. "…That wasn't my question."

He chuckled. "Sure it was." I smiled, but wasn't able to say anything more because of a strange sound.

I heard the patter of little feet, coming from everywhere. And then, little voices; "One, two! One, two!" Looking around, the area was suddenly flooded with little guys. Like, _really _little. They were dressed in different colours, and I was suddenly strongly reminded of Santa's Workshop.

One of them, dressed all in red, stepped forward, bowing to the Harvest Goddess. "Sorry we're late, Milady."

The Goddess smiled at him. "Ah, my Harvest Sprites," she cooed. "You're not late at all, Nak; in fact, you're just on time." She raised her slender hand and pointed her finger to the tenkai. "Seize them, please."

Nak bowed again. "Your wish is our command, Milady." He pumped his fist in the air. "CHARGE!"

Huh. So, the Harvest Goddess has an army.

All at once, the Harvest Sprites ran at the three monsters. Their fists were all glowing, and they seemed to be shooting something at Mother, Father, and Skye. And it was working.

One of them shouted, "More power!" and suddenly they were all chanting for more 'power'. The Harvest Goddess raised her arms above her head, a huge ball of light growing in the palms of her hands. Then the light scattered, and the Sprites started moving again.

Mother was kicking them away angrily, sweating bullets. Father was trying to erect a barrier around him, also sweating. And Skye was trying to blast them away with his own black spirit balls.

But there were just too many of the Sprites.

All of a sudden, the Harvest Goddess held her hand up and the Sprites all froze instantly. She looked over at me. "Would you like to do the honours?"

Me eyes widened. "You mean–?"

The Goddess nodded, her expression unreadable. I gulped and looked over at my parents. They were so good to me as a child…it was only after what Kurt saw that they started acting aggressively.

I didn't…want to _hurt _them…

I looked away, shaking my head. Kai put his hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

To my surprise, the Harvest Goddess laughed. I looked up; she was grinning at me.

"That was the correct answer," she said, winking. I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could get anything out, she flung her arms in front of her and water shot out of the sacred lake like a jet. I blacked out, as did everyone else.

And then we were floating in the lake. I looked up; a tiny light shone above us. I looked around, panicked; how could this damn lake be so deep!?

The Harvest Goddess appeared in front of me. I tried to ask her something, but only bubbles came out of my mouth. I glanced around again, and saw all my friends and my family floating in the water as well, unconscious. My brow furrowed. Were they okay…?

'_I knew you were special,' _a voice said in my mind. I looked back at the Goddess; it was her speaking. _'From the moment I saw you.' _

'_You told me I was evil.'_

She smiled. _'I sensed evil in you, and I was right, wasn't I? Evil is in your blood because your parents are tenkai.'_

'_What's your point?'_

'_You were also very sacred.'_

'_Sacred?'_

She nodded. _'That's why you weren't affected by my purification powers; they actually helped strengthen you. I could feel your powers as soon as I came out of the water that day. You were going to shake this village to its roots, but protect it the best you could.'_

I frowned; I was confused. She floated closer to me.

'_You don't want to be a tenkai.'_

'_No.'_

She lifted her arms and slid her fingers down my cheeks, and I passed out.

--

**Well, I really hope you liked it! :D You know what this story really needs? REVIEWS. :D C'mon, please? Heheheh. Don't forget to check out my other stories! ;D Mmm, shameless plugs. :)**


	17. Confusion, Relief

_**Chapter 17 - Confusion, Relief**_

**Nyaha! :D An update! Sorry, it's a bit shorter than the last one… Now, myeh, there still isn't too much fluff in this chappie…I lied again! :D Haha! Maybe a little, I guess. ;D You'll have to read along to find out. I hope you'll enjoy the chapter! ^^ Thanks for reading and reviewing!!!**

I don't know why, but I had a dream about a friend back in Tokyo. Kurt and I used to hang out with him all the time; he was really cool. But he was only in Tokyo for a couple months, and then he went away. He said he was always travelling. His long brown bangs fell over his eyes and it amused us to make fun of it, pretending he was an old blind man.

The day he left, he promised he'd get it cut as soon as he got where he was going.

I almost fell in love with him.

But he left.

His favourite colour was purple…

--

I woke with a start, gasping for breath. I looked around with a surge of panic; the last thing I remembered, everyone was underwater, including me. Breathing heavily, I saw that everybody was lying safely in the grass, the sun beaming down on them as they slept. Everyone except my parents, and Skye.

I was still scanning the area when someone close by coughed. I whirled around again, seeing that Kai was sitting up, spitting up water. I crawled over to him, feeling a little weak.

"You okay, Kai?" I asked, patting his back.

He coughed one last time, and cleared his throat. Then he looked up and smiled at me. "Peachy," he replied, and I grinned back. "Yeesh, the one time I'm not travelling like crazy, the one place that's my summer haven, and I get thrown around by 'tenkai' and nearly drowned by the Harvest Goddess!"

That struck me, and my eyes widened a little. "You travel a lot, right, Kai…?"

He blinked; it was an odd time for a question like that. But he smiled again. "Yeah, all the time. Mineral Town's the only place I know for sure that I can stay. Albeit, not for long. Other than here, the longest I've stayed in one place was maybe…three months?" Something flashed in his eyes as he met my gaze again, like excitement, and his grin widened.

Before I could ask him anymore, Kurt sat up straight, coughing and hacking. "Ahh…that was rough…"

Kai and I scurried over to him, and he coughed some more. It set off a chain reaction; everyone else started waking up as well.

When we were all done gasping for air and coughing our lungs out we just laid back in the grass, a little dazed. The sun's warmth was comforting, and I closed my eyes.

Someone's hand wrapped around mine. It was a familiar hand—I imagined Kairi, up and down. I knew it was his hand, it had to be. I opened my eyes, turning my head. I felt like I was definitely going to see him, laughing, blowing his long bangs out of his eyes.

But it wasn't. It was Kai. Smiling peacefully, his bandana holding back any bangs he may have had.

I let it go for the moment. I suddenly remembered everything that had gone on in the water, and before that. I glanced down at my hand; it looked…

My eyes widened as I studied my hand, and then the rest of my body. I was no longer a porcelain doll. But something was still different. While I was the same again, _me _again…I wasn't.

I inched over to the lake and peered into the water. I couldn't see the bottom. Not knowing what to do, I gently brushed the surface of the water with my fingertip.

I heard a light giggling that was innocent and pure coming from my left. I let out a gasp as I whipped around to see the Harvest Goddess sitting on the edge of the lake, swinging her legs in the water.

"H-Harvest Goddess," I stuttered. She smiled at me, her lilac dress swaying gently in the breeze. "What…"

She reached out and stroked my cheek. Her hand held up my chin to keep my gaze locked with hers.

"No longer are you a demon," she whispered.

"I'm not…a tenkai anymore?" I asked, my voice quivering a little.

She shook her head, her lavender curls dancing with the light motion. "You are what you were meant to be, now," she murmured. "What you were destined to be."

It seemed like… "Are you…not telling me something?" I asked.

"You're very perceptive," she commented, giggling.

I raised one eyebrow. "There is."

"You aren't a demon," she repeated, "but you aren't necessarily a human either."

I frowned, panic striking me. "Then…what am I?"

"One of us," she breathed, barely audible. My eyes flickered over her shoulder. Behind her, stood four other radiant beings, but as if they were ghosts. One had fire red hair, long and straight. Another had an electrifying blue hair colour, in subtle curls down her back. The one next to her had light green hair, tied up in an especially long ponytail while the one next to her had white hair, tumbling playfully but elegantly around her face.

"I'm…" I couldn't finish; I didn't know how.

"You will be the Sun Goddess, in the afterlife. You will stand beside me, the Harvest Goddess, and the Fire Goddess, the Water Goddess, the Earth Goddess, and the Wind Goddess."

My jaw dropped in disbelief. "But I—"

"Shh, young one. Now you will be a normal girl, with an extra layer of radiance. But when your current body is laid to rest, you will walk with us," she explained, flashing her pearly white teeth. "You needn't worry about it now, though. It is your destiny when you have fulfilled your duties here."

I closed my mouth. "O…kay." I nodded. "I'll do my best."

The Goddess smiled, and her eyes laughed too. "Good," she cooed. She bent down and gently kissed my forehead, only to disappear again.

I inhaled and exhaled deeply; it was a lot to take in, but I had my life to live now. I wasn't about to waste dwelling on that.

As long as I wasn't a demon.

As long as I was normal now…everything seemed okay.

--

I realized the next day that I didn't know where the tenkai had disappeared to; I wasn't all too worried, they _are _rather strong.

But there was something that was really bugging me and I needed to figure it all out.

I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, but I made sure it didn't look sloppy. I slipped my shoes on and set off to the beach. I passed Gray on the way, leaning coolly against the side of the Blacksmith's, maybe on a break. I smiled and waved at him, and he nodded back, also cracking a smile. His cast still haunted me, and I hoped it would be off soon.

May and Stu were playing together at Barley's, with the old man watching them happily. I could just hear the wedding bells, but if I told them that, they might throw rocks at me in embarrassment and possible disgust, as only children do.

Walking around the bend, I saw Anne chatting with Cliff, and I called out a greeting. They both grinned; Cliff waved and Anne called back. In the Square, the older ladies were gossiping, as usual. I didn't dare go near them. In my momentary self-consciousness, I figured they were talking about me. Maybe they thought I was a terrorist, waiting for just the right time to bomb each and every one of their houses.

I smiled, a huge wave of relief washing over me. The town was able to keep living, as if nothing had happened. And I seemed to still be a part of it. My smile widened; and now…Skye might actually leave me alone. It almost seemed too good to be true…I mean, I didn't even know for sure where they were. I decided on just putting them out of my mind and enjoying the fresh air, and the light, cool breeze.

I stepped onto the beach, the sand a change from the cobblestone. Zack and Won were standing outside, fanning themselves as they took turns talking on the phone. I guessed it was about shipments, though I still didn't understand why Won bothered.

I squinted to see if the lights were on in Kai's Shack. They were, and when I opened the door a bell rung. The purple bandana shot up from behind the counter, grinning widely.

"Welcome—ah! Skye!" He beckoned for me to come in, and I went to the counter and leaned on it, ready to talk with him. "So what's up?"

"Uhmm…" I really didn't know how to bring it up. But, it had to be done. "Okay, I'll just say this now—are you Kairi?" I felt like an idiot, and my face heated up. He stiffened, and looked over at me.

"I…don't go by that name anymore," he said softly, his eyes serious. "It's Kai now…Naomi."

I met his gaze, standing my ground. "I'm getting rid of that name now. It's Hozumi. Like old times."

We just stood there, staring at each other.

After what seemed like a lifetime, I reached up and untied his bandana. Down came long brown locks, falling down his forehead and his neck.

"You promised you'd cut it," I whispered, frowning.

"I did," he murmured back. "Hair grows back."

I studied the bandana, finally tearing my eyes away from his. My eyebrows shot up, the gears clicking in my head.

"This bandana…it's the necktie I bought for you, isn't it?" I asked, my voice still a whisper.

He smiled softly. "I'm glad you finally remembered."

Without another word, he leant down and pressed his lips against mine.

--

**:D Huh? Huh? I hope you liked it…I know it seems random with Kai and everything, but there is a reason that will be explained why she didn't think of it earlier. ;D I hope you'll all review ~ they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :D**


	18. Chapter Closed

_**Chapter 18 - Chapter Closed**_

**Hey guys…sorry, the chapter's a little short again. ;D Heheh. But anyways…please review! :D (PS, Chellybaby, you disappeared again! Come back! XD) (Can someone tell me why Document Manager doesn't let me underline anymore?!)**

Our lips still locked, he put his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to his body. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling his soft hair with nimble fingers. Our figures seemed to form together as the kiss went on, and I felt like I had found what I was looking for after so long…

We pulled away, seemingly in unison, and he pressed his forehead against mine, inhaling.

"I'm surprised you didn't remember me until now," he said quietly.

I frowned. "So am I…" Kairi and I were such good friends…there's no way I wouldn't recognize his face as soon as I saw it. So why did it take so long for me to realize it was him?

"Though I will admit, it took a while for me to notice that it was Hozumi from Tokyo, as well. But I was taken with you immediately…the same way I was when we first met." He grabbed my hand, twining his fingers with mine and squeezing it comfortingly.

Suddenly, the bell rang, indicating someone was opening the door. An instant reflex, we both jumped away from each other, our faces glowing.

I glanced over at the guest. It was Popuri—just my luck. And there was no way she couldn't have noticed how close we were just a second before. She was staring at either Kai or me, I couldn't tell from across the shack, her eyes wide with shock. Her mouth hung open just a little, and it looked like she was trembling a little bit.

Suddenly, she let out a furious shriek, balling her fists tightly and driving her eyebrows together in a fierce glare. I winced, feeling guilty all of a sudden. Popuri was infatuated with Kai, and that was no secret around town. Nor was it a secret that Rick highly disapproved.

She fixed her gaze directly on me, and the wave of anger and hurt that emitted from her eyes stunned me.

"Poppy, wait—" But before I could finish, explain, she had stormed out of the shack, the wooden screen door slamming with a deafening crack. I shot a worried glance at Kai, who returned the look, and we both set off running after the pink-haired girl (almost as strange as purple hair, come to think of it…).

"Poppy!" I shouted. "Popuri!" She didn't look back, only kept running along the beach as fast as she could in the sand. I caught up to her as she slipped, and grabbed her arm to steady her. There were tears in her eyes, and I distantly thought that she was over reacting being as she didn't even know what was going on nor was she actually in a relationship with Kai. Typical…pinkette (?) behaviour? I think so.

"Stop, Popuri!" I demanded, my voice still in a yell. Kai caught up, panting slightly.

Popuri slapped my hand away, nearly falling again. I was tempted to inquire whether she was drunk or not, but I used my common sense and kept my mouth shut. She whirled around to face Kai, her milkshake-coloured hair flying around with her and nearly whipping me in the face. She raised a slender hand and smacked Kai hard across the face.

"You jerk!" she screamed.

He rubbed his cheek gingerly with his hand, wincing. "Popuri, I think you're being overly dramatic. Calm down—"

"Down tell me to calm down!" Her voice was shrill. "You—you cheating—"

"Hey," I cut her off sternly. "You don't even know what's happening…" Though I guess she had a pretty good idea, anyway. We _had _just been making out in his restaurant. We couldn't really tell her nothing happened.

"Oh yeah? How about you two having a secret little _rendezvous_ behind my back, huh?!" she accused, spinning around again to face me.

"I—"

Now Kai cut me off. "Popuri, how long have you and I been dating?"

That caught both of us off-guard. I stared at him while Popuri tried to stutter an answer.

"Well—I, uhm, we—as to say—I mean—" she stammered, flushing pink.

"Exactly," Kai said. "We've…well, we've never really dated, Popuri. Therefore…nothing went on behind your back, so to speak."

A look of shock crossed her face.

"But…but you've kissed me before…and we went on a date once…" she spluttered, more quietly now as the realization set in.

"I'm sorry, Popuri. But…I've never considered you as my girlfriend." He shook his head, smiling sadly. "I've been in love with Hozumi since the day I met her, when I was seventeen." I bit my lip to hide the smile that the fond memory brought to my face. I was only fifteen, and I was walking downtown by myself at night. I know, that was stupid, whatever. So anyway, three guys came up to me. One of them asked if I wanted to go drinking and whatnot. Of course, I refused, being nowhere near the legal drinking age. Or wanting to go out with them in the first place. But they still pestered me, until he got a little too close for comfort, and that's when Kairi ran up and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, smiling.

"Thank you for keeping my girlfriend company while I was away, guys," he'd said. His hand slid down to mine and we had walked away, me feeling slightly dazed as I walked hand-in-hand with an incredibly handsome guy.

And then our friendship just took off from there…

Anyway, back to the present.

Popuri was struggling to keep her tears back now. "I…"

"Shh," Kai cooed, pulling her into a hug. "You'll find a guy one day that was meant just for you."

Popuri sniffled. "But…I thought _you _were that guy…I _wanted _you to be that guy…" She attempted to wrap her arms around him, but he pulled away, rubbing her shoulders in a friendly gesture.

"But I'm not. I'm sorry."

A tear spilled over her lashes onto her cheek, and her mouth hung open slightly again. Then she slowly looked over at me, and I flinched. She stared at me for a while, several minutes passing before anyone moved. I was like a deer caught in the headlights as she stared at me with dying eyes.

Finally, I gathered myself and murmured, "I'm really sorry, Poppy…" I stretched my arms out, reaching for a hug. She held up her hand, pushing my arm away, then she swiveled on her heel and walked softly back to the town.

I tore my eyes away from her. "I…I feel bad," I stated simply.

"She'll be okay," Kai assured me, putting his hand around my shoulders. "I think that…deep down, she didn't really want to be with me."

I looked up at him, about to question his statement, but a wave of familiar energy hit me. I gripped Kai's arm. "Go back in the shack," I whispered to him. He quickly glanced around, and nodded. After he had safely returned to his restaurant, I turned around and saw a figure at the far end of the beach. I walked over to it swiftly, my eyes narrowed. When I stopped, I was still far enough away from him that I had to raise my voice to talk to him.

"You made me forget about Kairi…Kai," I yelled, frowning.

"It was for your own good," he replied.

"How about for _your _own good, Skye?" I called back. "So I'd only remember _you_ from Tokyo?"

He hissed softly, baring his fangs, but composed himself quickly again. "He only would have made your decision harder! He would have made _everything _harder!"

"And yet he _was _my decision, in the end. Imagine that," I stated dryly.

Skye was frowning now, his silver hair (what happened to brown, black, red and blonde? Are those colours not enough for you? Now we need purple, pink and silver too!?) whipping around his handsome face.

"Why didn't you choose me?" he asked softly, stepping closer to me.

"Because, you're not the person I thought you were. You're just a lowly peasant. I thought you were the noble king, cool and composed…" I laughed without humour. "You should be an actor. You really fooled me."

"Hozumi—"

"I really did love you," I told him. I shook my head, running my fingers through my hair. "But that was a mistake."

"But—"

"Deal with it, Skye," I said forcefully. "There's nothing between you and I. Never show your face to me again." I turned around and ran back to Kai's shack without letting Skye get another word in.

"Are you all right?" Kai asked, frowning. Only then did I realize I was crying. He walked over to me and hugged me, and I gratefully hugged him back.

"Kairi…" I murmured. "Thank you…" I squeezed him tighter. "I love you."

"Not Kairi," he corrected. "Kai." He lifted my chin. "Say it."

"…Kai."

He smiled. "And how do you feel about Kai?"

"I love Kai," I said, a grin shining through my tear-streaked face.

He pulled me back into a hug. "Kai loves you too."

It felt like that ended a chapter of my life…the one entitled 'Skye.'

And started the one called 'Kairi.'

…Sorry, 'Kai.'

--

**I know it was short, I'm sorry. This story is coming to a close now…I hope you've been enjoying it. ^^ And I hope you all like the Hozumi x Kai pairing…I do. ;D I hope you all liked the whole thing with Kairi too. In case you were confused…Skye temporarily erased Hozumi's memories of Kairi, so that he'd be the only one she remembered loving, and that's why she didn't remember him until now. ^^ I hope you liked it ~ please review!**


	19. New Life

**Chapter 19 - New Life**

**Hello again dear fans…I hope you're not too angered by my lack of update, and that this update is relatively short…The epilogue will be up soon. :D And then this fic will be over and done with! This makes me happy and sad. But we'll get there when we get there, which will be soon.**

**Also, by chance, I have included SPOILERS from the book, **_**The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. **_**I put a heads up before I write about, so if any of you are reading it you'll know when to skip a few lines. ;) That book's awesome, I totally recommend it. :D Although it has 'mature content'…I read it though. :D Cause I'm cool like that. ;D **

**RANDOM! :D**

I wiped my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand, admiring my crop field. It took up about half of the field now, and I worked hard to water every single one of them everyday. Only a couple had produced anything, but I knew I'd have to wait a while longer being as I planted them only two weeks ago.

I was startled when I felt soft feathers bat at my calves, and whipped around so quickly I almost kicked the poor chicken in the face. She froze and stared at me, terrified. I laughed and picked her up. "Sorry, Clara, I didn't mean to." I sighed. "Seeing you and Pie everyday makes me not want to eat chicken anymore. It kind of sucks." She squawked loudly and ruffled her feathers, as if to say, "Let go of me, you murderous beast!" and I let her jump out of my hands.

I'd finally started a legit farm, and it made me happy. I had two chickens, a cow, a horse, and a sheep that would be here next week. I kept my little pond filled with fish and let the animals roam around so I didn't have to buy food everyday.

I jumped when I felt a hand on my waist.

"Hey, Hozumi," Kai said, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Geez, you're so dedicated to this farm now. It was a piece of crap before I showed up!"

He laughed, and I slapped his arm. "It'd be nice if you helped too, Mr. Freeloader."

"I'm not a freeloader. One, I make a steady profit with the Shack, and two, we live together now," he protested.

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Living together with you is the same thing as having a freeloader."

"How rude!" he pouted. I turned around and kissed him briefly on the lips, and then sent him to work.

"Go, don't be late opening your own restaurant," I said.

He started walking towards the town, waving his hand nonchalantly. "I'm going, I'm going, nagger."

"I'm not a nagger!"

"I'm not a freeloader!"

I smirked. "Touché," I called after him, and he turned to wink at me.

A few minutes after Kai left, I went into town. Before I left, I checked the mailbox; it was empty. When I looked up, I let out a short scream when I saw Popuri standing not even a foot away from me. She was frowning, and some of her pink locks were falling in her face. I couldn't help but notice the resemblance to the Grudge.

After a moment of my mouth hanging open and not saying anything, I managed to choke out, "Popuri. Hi."

She stared at me for a while longer, and it was starting to make me uncomfortable. I was wondering if her head was suddenly going to twist all the way around on her neck, when finally she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Hozumi," she said. "It was wrong of me to be angry with you and Kai for falling in love."

_Damn right it was. _"It's all right, Poppy." I grinned and held out my arms. She stepped forward hesitantly and then wrapped her arms around me. "I forgive you," I told her.

"Thank you," she sighed. "Friends?"

I nodded. "Want to go get something to eat with me?"

She beamed. "Yes!"

* * *

Almost the entire town was at Doug's Inn. We all greeted each other, as only you can in a small town like Mineral Town, tipping hats and giving waves. No one called me Skye now—no one dared. They all knew I'd be offended by it now. And it wasn't Naomi anymore either. Everyone had somehow or another learned by experience that it was also bad to call me Naomi.

"It's Hozumi," I had said over and over again. "That's my real name."

Nobody, not even May and Stu, spoke of the 'incidents' at Diamond Farm. A silent agreement had passed between all the inhabitants of the town. Don't worry about it. Don't speak of it. Don't even think about it.

And, despite knowing everything about me...they all still accepted me, and even _wanted _to be friends with me.

I sat down at one of the tables with Popuri, and Ann soon scurried over to us. "You guys made up?"

Popuri smiled excitedly and nodded vigorously, which I thought was a little creepy. But we let it slide. We got lunch and a milkshake; halfway through Karen joined our table as we all talked.

"So when's the wedding?" she asked, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly. "Sorry," I said, "it was cancelled as there never was one." I stuck my tongue out at her.

"You know it'll happen," she replied, singing the last word and folding her arms behind her head as she leaned back.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "And what about you and Rick?" I asked.

"Our wedding was last week, we didn't want to invite you," she retorted, and we all laughed. Doug came over and scolded Ann for slacking, and she rushed back behind the counter.

* * *

**! Random **_**The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo **_**SPOILERS coming up because I feel like it !**

That night, I was lying on my bed, reading _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. _It was a really good book, filled with mystery and crazy people and sex and murder. I was loving it.

I nearly screamed when a shadow fell across me and I felt someone on top of me. I was wrapped up in the moment of Blomkvist discovering what's in Martin Vanger's basement, nearly being killed and, well, other things, by him, when Lisbeth comes to save him and—

"Eek!" I let out a small squeak, not knowing whether to expect Martin, Mikael or Lisbeth.

Instead I got Kai.

"Am I _that _scary?" he asked, and smirked, amused. "Or just that handsome?" He gently gripped my book and cast it aside before leaning down to meet his lips with mine.

We were—briefly—interrupted by Zack bringing my day's earnings. Lots of money today, which I was rather proud of.

Then, we went back to the bed.

* * *

Finally, I had found a place where I belonged. A place where I was accepted, where my dark past didn't matter.

It had finally started.

My New Life.

* * *

**Yes, it was disgustingly short. But there wasn't anything else to write about! The epilogue will be posted in, like, a few days. :D Hopefully it will be a bit longer than this.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story. ****:) More sad farewells in the epilogue. ;D PLEASE REVIEW!**

_**The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo**_** was randomly included because it's awesome and Hozumi's awesome and she needed a book to be reading. :D**


	20. Epilogue

_**Epilogue**_

**Ahh yes. Here we are. The end. The finale. The very last words of New Life. :') It's been fun, everyone! Thank you for reviewing and reading! ^^**

**This is dedicated to Chellybaby, my longtime fanfiction friend who inspired New Life! And to Miss Rouge Apple, who in some mystical, unknown way, gave me a plot bunny as I wrote her a PM a few chapters back… ^v^ You've both been so helpful and New Life would have been No Life without you. ;D THANK YOU!**

Kai grabbed hold of my hand, and I smiled at the warmth. The breeze coming off the water blew my hair back, but didn't chill me as it was the middle of the summer. I heard the fizzle as the fireworks went into the air, and cheered when it exploded in the dark sky, sending sparks of neon everywhere. Another one followed, this one spinning in circles before blasting apart. Many people clapped.

Kai and I, along with most other inhabitants of Mineral Town, were sitting on the beach at the Fireworks Festival. An hour or so passed as we watched them, occasionally getting refreshments and chatting with others with one eye on the fireworks.

As the festival was about to end, Kai jumped to his feet and ducked away somewhere, leaving me to look around and wonder where he went. "Kai…?"

Mayor Thomas walked to the front of the crowd with a bullhorn. "Good evening everyone!" he laughed, his cheeks rosy and his beady eyes excited. For a moment I thought he was drunk. "I hope you've all enjoyed the show so far. We have a special finale for it now!" I looked around again, but the attempt was in vain. _Kai, you idiot, you'll miss the ending!_

My eyes widened in surprise when I saw Kai snatch the bullhorn away from Thomas, his big eyes glittering, his face broken into a boyish grin, his bandana blowing back in the breeze, his softly sun-kissed skin shimmering in the moonlight, his muscles…oh, sorry.

Anyway, he held the bullhorn up to his mouth, sucked in a deep breath, and shouted, "Hozumi! I love you! Will you please marry me?"

My eyebrows nearly leapt off my forehead and my jaw seemed to rip off it dropped so quickly. I felt the heat rise to my face, which made me feel even more embarrassed.

I clambered to my feet, slipping on the sand, and dashed to him. He cast the bullhorn aside, and I vaguely wondered if it broke, as he held his arms open. I flung myself onto him and wrapped my arms around his neck, my cheek brushing his.

"Yes," I said, not knowing if I whispered or shouted.

* * *

I smiled after waking from the dream. It had been two years after the 'incidents' at Diamond Farm. We got married about a month later, our wedding song being "Lovegame" by Lady Gaga. A year after that, we had a beautiful baby boy, Ashton, followed two years later by a beautiful baby girl, Izumi.

I looked at the time; 6:57 am. I rolled over and slapped Kai to get him up. He groaned and tried to turn away, but I grabbed his head and yanked it back, whacking my forehead against his. "Ow!"

I threw my legs over the side of the bed as he sat up, the sheets falling off of Kai and revealing his bare chest. At thirty-nine, he was still fit enough to have a six pack. I thanked the Harvest Goddess for that.

I looked at the date as I passed the calendar on my way to the kitchen: June 12th. The house had grown a lot over the past eighteen, nineteen years. It now had multiple rooms, even an attic that could almost be passed for a second floor.

I threw the bacon on the frying pan, hearing the satisfying sizzle. I was thirty-seven now; Ashton was sixteen last month, and Izumi will be fourteen next month. We were a generally happy family, and everyone helped out equally on the farm and at the Shack.

When breakfast was almost ready, Kai came out of the bathroom and took over. I had a quick shower, hardly able to enjoy the warm water, and then went to wake the kids up.

I knocked on Ashton's door, gently at first, and then I just opened it. He seemed to sense it, and jumped up, startled, making May slide off his shoulder and hit the bed with a thud.

"Mom!" he exclaimed.

I smirked and raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms and leaning my—still well shaped, curvy—body against the doorframe. "Ashton, honey, what have I told you about May staying overnight?"

He blushed. "Uh, sorry, she was tutoring me and ended up staying late…"

"I know," I said, holding back a giggle, "I heard."

He flushed a deeper crimson as May came to. She shook her head to get her thick black locks out of her face. She was nineteen a few months back, and she was Ashton's tutor when he couldn't get to the city to go to real school. She did the same with Izumi, though obviously, her feelings for Ashton were different.

She laughed at his expression, and stood up elegantly, her blouse falling to just barely cover the top of her bare legs. She smiled at me, and I smiled back as she grabbed her jeans off the back of a chair.

"Sorry about staying over again, Hozumi," she apologized.

I waved it off. "It's fine. We just worry what the neighbours would think," I replied with a wink. She grinned and kissed me on the cheek before going into the front hall and pulling on her shoes. I looked back at Ashton. "You're lucky I basically raised her."

He sighed and nodded. "Now get up for breakfast."

Next I went to Izumi's room. I knocked, and opened it, just as I had with Ashton's. But thank the Goddess no one was in her bed. She was already up and washed, dozing on her bed with a book propped open on her knee, my old copy of _The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. _I noted that she was nearly finished as I woke her up. She set the book aside and came to the kitchen table.

"Wow," Kai said, "May turned out to be the Megan Fox of these times, huh?"

I laughed and nodded. Ashton and Izumi exchanged a glance, searching their brains for who Megan Fox could possibly be. "She was in that one movie last year, with the guy…"

"Oh," Ashton said suddenly, "yeah." He shrugged. "She's kinda old…"

I snorted. It amused me.

Kai looked over at Izumi. "So what's going on with you, huh?" he asked. "Any boys in the picture?"

Izumi blushed and glared at him. "You make it sound like I'm a kid."

"You are," Ashton muttered before shoving a piece of egg into his mouth.

"You're only two years older than me!" she retorted angrily.

"Sixteen and thirteen is two years?"

"Argh! I'm fourteen _next month_, you freak!"

"All right, calm down," Kai said. "Well, Izumi?"

"No," she mumbled, grabbing another bacon strip.

"What about Stu?" I intervened, grinning.

Her face went red, the blood pooling at her cheeks. Stu was Ashton's best friend, and don't worry, his stupid crop-cut had grown out many years ago and was replaced by a jet-black mop of hair that was always disheveled. He was fifteen now, soon to be sixteen, and Izumi had an obvious crush on him.

She didn't say anything else, just kept eating.

* * *

I brought the hoe down again, and grunted with discomfort. My hands were starting to get sweaty and my shirt was sticking to my back. Even with my blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, a drop of perspiration rolled down my neck. Sometimes it sucked having to work on the farm, especially in summer.

"Let me do that for you, Mrs. Nakahara."

I stood up straight and turned around to face Stu, smiling innocently. I sighed. "Don't call me Mrs. Nakahara. It makes me feel old."

He smiled. "Sorry, Hozumi." He held his hands out.

"That's more like it," I told him, and passed him the hoe. He would occasionally work here as well, as he was over a lot.

"Oh, Stu? Ashton's out with May right now…" I called back to him, not sure what his purpose was here.

He stiffened, and I could see his ears go pink through his shock of hair. "Uh, I'm not here for Ashton…"

My eyes widened, and then I threw my head back and laughed loudly.

"Izumi's in her room, waiting for you, Prince Charming," I yelled back to him, turning and heading for town. "As long as you finish watering the crops first."

The town had hardly changed, but what could you expect from a hick place like Mineral Town?

I slipped into the Inn before heading over to the Shack. Ann was behind the counter, as usual, reading a novel—written by her husband—with no worry as there was no one else there. Doug had long since passed, and she had happily taken over the family business.

I whistled to her, and she looked up, instantly setting the book down. "Hozumi!" she called, giggling. "Have you read Cliff's new book?"

I sat in my usual stool at the bar, and glanced at the cover. "I bought it, but I haven't started it yet."

"It's cute," she cooed, holding back another giggle. "He's really—"

"If you make one more comment about my sensitivity _or _my sexuality, Ann, I swear!" Cliff cut in, wrestling with his tie as he stepped down the stairs. Ann stuck her tongue out at him, and he pecked her on the cheek. "Now I have to go hand in my next manuscript." He looked at me. "Please read it soon!"

I laughed and nodded. Cliff wrote romance novels, and he had pushed out a bunch of them that made the best-seller's list. One was currently being made into a movie. Women across the world swooned to his tales of romance, and Ann never hesitated to tease him about it, his "non-existent masculinity", to which he would reply, "it's fine since you have it all, He-man." Really, it was fun to watch.

He held open the door for Popuri, who came rushing in with Cliff and Ann's most recent three children, baby twins and a toddler. Their two eldest were in college and high school in the city. Popuri babysat them all, as well as ran the Chicken Farm, being as Rick had moved in with Karen and was operating the grocer's.

(Apparently, she had a boyfriend from Tokyo, but was too embarrassed to bring him here. I can see why.)

"Ayu's been biting me," she huffed, referring to one of the twins. Ann burst out laughing. I happened to see the clock, and jumped up immediately. "Ah! I have to go," I yelled, dashing out of the Inn.

On my way out, I saw Gray and Mary holding hands. The way they acted, you'd think they were nervous high school kids, not a couple that's been married for ten years with a child. I laughed and shook my head.

I ran down the street and into the square, where I didn't bother to look at the bulletin board crammed with papers old and new. I pretended not to see May and Ashton kissing on the bench. I went straight across to the beach, nearly tripping and causing permanent brain damage on the stone steps.

The bell rung when I pushed the old wooden screen door open, and Kai looked up from the counter where he was taking Won's order. After a moment, Won walked back to his seat and I took his place in front of the counter. I leaned my chin on my palm and stared at Kai as he whipped together a fresh bowl of pasta for the Chinese man, and dropped it off at his table. Then he pulled me behind the counter, his eyes sparkling with boyish excitement.

"You came to see me," he stated.

I snorted. "Yes, I come to see you a lot at work."

He grinned. "And it still makes me happy."

He brought me closer to him, holding the small of my back, and pressed his lips against mine. When we parted, we whispered in unison, "Happy aniversary."

Won sat awkwardly in the background, trying not to stare at us.

* * *

**I hope you liked iiiiiittttt! ;D I enjoyed it, actually. And this is it, folks, the end! :) Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing this fic. You've made me really happy. :'D I worked hard on this story and enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. ;) Thank you again! :D BYE!**


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